Seven Days
by Anonymous Being
Summary: "One week was all it had taken to change everything she thought she knew about their swordsman. One week was all it had taken to realize that she was in love with him." Separated from their crew, Nami and Zoro have become the targets of a psychotic witch. Together they must fight Witch Island to return to their friends, and discover so much more. ZoNa. Complete!
1. Witch Island

**Disclaimer: **Regretfully, I do not own One Piece. That right belongs to the incredibly talented Eiichiro Oda.

**Seven Days**

_Chapter 1: Witch Island_

Had someone told her one week ago that she would be standing in front of the crow's nest ladder in the middle of the night, she would have laughed at the very idea, before of course knocking some sense into them with a well placed fist to the head. She would have come up with several reasons to raise their imaginary debt had they insisted that she couldn't sleep without his snoring.

Had someone told her that her room would no longer feel like home without the comfort of strong and capable arms around her, and that the one thing she would miss more than even the taste of mikans would be the metallic scent of steel, she would have insisted that they were out of their mind.

But there she was, one slender hand poised to climb and dark circled eyes dull from exhaustion. One week was all it had taken to change everything she thought she knew about their swordsman. One week was all it had taken to realize that she was in love with him.

**[][][][][][]**

"Sanji… Meat."

Their bloated captain's sleeping form was sprawled half way across the dining table; Sanji was slumbering in a nearby chair leaned back against the wall with his arms folded behind his head.

"You ate it all, dumb ass."

Nami rolled her eyes at the mess of passed out crew mates in the kitchen. After weeks without the excitement of land, they had entered the next island's climate the day before and Luffy had insisted they celebrate, mostly with meat. After cleaning them all out with several card games and going through most of the liquor with Zoro, Nami had been the only member to actually make it to her bed with the exception of Robin, who turned in early, and the swordsman who had watch.

An early riser, the orange haired navigator was the first person on deck, pleased to find that they were still on course. They would be reaching the island in about an hour, and based on the chill in the air, she guessed it would be spring there. Dressed in a pair of snug jeans and a t-shirt that read 'gold' that was knotted in the back to reveal a taut stomach, she took a deep breath of the sea-salt air and sighed. She loved mornings, they were relaxing.

A loud crash in the kitchen interrupted her momentary peace and an exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she lifted the binoculars to her face, ignoring the gust of wind to her left as Luffy was sent flying across the deck of the Going Merry with a hard kick from the cook.

"That food was for Nami-san, you shitty captain!"

Luffy flopped into a sitting position against the mast, his cheeks puffed up as he chewed whatever it was that was in his mouth.

"It's good!" He mumbled before swallowing audibly. The sounds of Sanji attempting to strangle the rubber man to no avail went unnoticed as Nami caught sight of the island. It was huge, large enough to be mistaken for a chunk of the main land and covered in lush forests and winding rivers that just screamed adventure, and hidden treasure. From what she could see, there was only one small village with a harbor along the edge of the coast, but the rest of the island appeared to be untouched and uninhabited.

"Oi, witch!"

She felt the vein in her temple throb in irritation at the unwelcome nickname.

"There's an island!"

Had he been on deck she would have crashed her fist down over the top of his stupid green head. She fully intended to give him a sarcastic retort but Luffy's sudden excitement drowned out anything she would have said.

"Ya-hooooooooo!"

The captain immediately moved to standing on his 'special seat' atop Going Merry's bow, a wide grin splitting his face as the ship raced smoothly through the water, rapidly nearing the alcove they were aiming for. It was a mile east of the village and secluded enough that if they left no one to guard the ship, it would still be safe.

"Yosh. To the island of meat!"

Luffy grinned and Nami pressed a hand to her face in annoyance, hiding the smile that threatened to surface. Despite the fact that Luffy could be dense and childish, he was the wind that drove them. He was their captain, and all of them held special places in their hearts for the man.

"Oi, Luffy. How do you know it's an island of meat?"

Usopp questioned, genuinely curious. Blinking, Luffy suddenly chuckled in pure Luffy manner, tipping his straw hat slightly down to shadow his expression, save for the grin. Everything stood still as they waited for his reply, Usopp holding his breath in anticipation. Chopper stared in amazement, astounded by his captain's genius for having known about the island before any of them.

"Shishishishi. I don't know!"

Both Chopper and Usopp practically face-planted on deck, as Nami intervened to distract from their captain's idiotic tendencies.

"Prepare to drop anchor! Furl the sails!"

Nami began giving orders and the crew came alive to follow her direction. Even if they weren't always in sync, it was nice to know that when it really counted, she could always depend on her nakama.

They quickly dropped anchor and Luffy, of course, was the first one off of the ship, followed by Chopper and Usopp, who didn't seem to be suffering from his usual 'I can't enter this island' disease. Sanji accompanied Robin, leaving Nami and Zoro to go ashore last. She was just about to jump overboard when Zoro placed a hand on her upper arm. She was surprised to see him scanning the forest when she turned to face him.

"Something about this place feels off," his voice was serious and one hand had moved to rest against his swords.

Following his gaze, Nami couldn't find anything about the island that appeared suspicious, but she had to admit that something about it did rub her the wrong way, even if it looked completely harmless.

"Yeah... I don't know what it is but those woods do kind of give me the creeps. We just need to be cautious."

The eerie feeling of being watched wouldn't stop Nami from pursuing the possibility of treasure, but she trusted Zoro's instincts. So far they had never been wrong.

Her answer seemed to satisfy him because he nodded before jumping overboard and Nami followed suit. They needed to restock their supplies, mostly food and fresh water, so a trip into the village was necessary.

"We'll split into teams for supplies and meet back here in thirty minutes."

They had entered the main square of the small village and Nami began dividing them into two groups. One group, which consisted of Robin, Luffy, Sanji and Usopp would replenish their food supply and search for parts to repair the ship while Nami, Zoro and Chopper would stock up on fresh water and medical supplies.

"Nami-Swan is so beautiful even when giving orders."

Sanji dramatically swooned and Nami had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She loved all of her nakama, Sanji included, but his over exaggerated affection was annoying.

Zoro didn't bother to hide his opinion of the cook's comment, snorting loudly in amusement.

"You got something to say, moss-head?" Sanji huffed.

"You sound like a dumbass, dartboard-brow," Zoro countered.

Growling, the cook swiftly moved to get in Zoro's face, readying himself to kick the bastard into the dirt, while Zoro lifted Wado about an inch from her sheath with a flick of his thumb.

"Idiot swordsman."

"Shitty cook."

A hard sweeping blow effectively shut the both of them up, a fuming Nami standing over them with her eyes closed and her temple throbbing.

"We don't have time for this!" She growled.

"Nami… Swan…"

Sanji twitched on the ground while Zoro picked himself up, rubbing the swollen lump on his head and glaring daggers at their navigator. The two groups split up and dispersed with plans to meet back in the town square as soon as they were finished shopping. Chopper trotted beside Nami in his reindeer form while Zoro hung back a little, silently observing the villagers who paid them no mind. Perhaps that was what had him on edge. He was a wanted man, as was Luffy, and very easy to recognize. Yet these people didn't even look up at them, as if they weren't interested at all. In fact, they were doing their best to avoid eye contact all together and keep their heads down. They hadn't even looked up to see that they were in fact pirates, so they couldn't be scared of them. The villager's had to be spooked from something else. With one hand resting on the hilt of his swords almost casually, Zoro followed his friends into a nearby medical supply shop.

For such a small village, they were very advanced. Chopper gawked at the neat stacks of medical books while Nami went through the organized list he had composed. Zoro followed along behind her, feeling like a pack mule as she handed him various packages full of bandages, herbs and powders, needles and surgical thread and whatever else was on that damn list.

"Can't you carry any of this yourself?"

There was more bite to Zoro's tone than he had intended, and had she kept her mouth shut, he might have felt bad about it.

"What's the matter? I thought the mighty Zoro could handle a few packages."

It wasn't her words that grated on his nerves, but rather the mischievous glint in her eyes. She always had that damn look when she knew she had won. The conversation was brought to a stand-still as they paid for the items, Chopper retrieved his book of choice and they returned to the bustling sidewalk.

"Excuse me, but do you know where we might find a fresh water supply?"

Nami asked a man passing them by on the street sweetly. He stood at about six feet tall and built like a tank, though most of his form was concealed by the dirty cloak he wore. When his eyes finally settled on Zoro, he smirked. Instinctively, both Nami and Chopper moved a little closer to the swordsman. The man smiled, revealing rotting teeth and rancid breath.

"You've got a lot of balls coming here, Straw Hats."

His voice was low and gravelly. It was obvious the man was a beggar and someone without importance in this town, but the warm honey-brown of his eyes commanded authority, a stark contrast to his state of dress. Zoro took a step forward, placing himself in front of Nami while Chopper moved to hide behind her legs.

"Not many pirates set foot on Witch Island these days."

His tone had softened, and everyone but Zoro relaxed. He didn't seem to be a threat but something still felt off about the man. Nami was the first to move, stepping out from behind Zoro and suppressing the urge to wrinkle her nose. The man smelled like body odor and rotted fruit, his cloak smeared in various things that she would rather not know.

"Sir, we're looking for fresh water for our ship… Is there an irrigation system in the village or a source that we could collect from?"

The man gave her a once over, eyes moving from her vibrant orange hair all the way to the tips of her toes. She could have sworn she saw sympathy in his expression. This man, a homeless disgusting creature had the nerve to feel pity for her! Although she had no idea why he would pity her, Nami felt a cold sensation rest in the pit of her stomach as he spoke again.

"Our irrigation system has been out of commission for a few years now. The only fresh water source is the rivers that run through the island. The closest one is about two miles from here north of the village."

The man's tone grew serious and Chopper had moved to grasp one of Zoro's legs, clinging to the swordsman as he shook behind the limb. Eyes boring into Nami's, the man continued.

"Stay close to the river bank, straying from the path could get you both killed. Keep your eyes peeled… the witch never sleeps."

His words hung heavy in the air as he turned on his heel and left them in front of the medical shop to ponder the strange encounter. Zoro relaxed a little, coaxing Chopper out from behind him as he hoisted a few casks onto his back that they would have to fill up at the river. Most likely, he would be the one carrying them all back too, not only because he was stronger than Nami, but because he always seemed to do her bidding even if he didn't want to.

"Chopper, take the medical supplies back to the ship then head back to the village square and let Luffy and the others know that we'll be back in about an hour after we collect the water."

Zoro almost immediately went into first mate mode, and Chopper nodded as he collected their purchases in his human form and wandered off to do as he was told.

"Come on, he said to head North."

"That's West."

"Then say something sooner!"

"That's South."

Nami chuckled as Zoro stomped off in a random direction whenever she corrected him. Rolling her eyes, she tugged at his stomach band suddenly and began to lead the way out of the village in the correct direction.

They walked in silence for several minutes as they passed through town. While nearing the northern exit, the village had become hushed, and Zoro was the first to notice the stares. Before the people had fought to ignore the crew and now all eyes were on them. It was unnerving, and without thought Nami had shifted closer to her nakama. Zoro was frustrating and stubborn, and he really knew how to push her buttons, but the simple fact was that she was safest with the swordsman or with Luffy.

"What do you think he meant by 'the witch never sleeps'?"

The eerie statement had been bothering her, enough that she was lightly holding onto Zoro's upper arm as they walked, although she could easily play it off as keeping him from getting lost. If Zoro noticed, he said nothing.

"Probably just some old hag who lives out here and creeps out the villagers."

Regardless of how crude he said it, the statement made her feel slightly better. He was probably right, the villagers were just nervous because they were sheltered from the world. Some poor old woman probably lived in these woods and because it wasn't the village social norm, she stuck out like a sore thumb and they had just associated her with some superstitious taboo. No sense in getting worked up over anything if it wasn't even there to begin with.

Following the beggar's direction, they walked north for about a mile and a half before the deafening roar of running water met their ears. Exactly half a mile later and the massive river came into view. Creepy beggar or not, the man knew this island well.

"The bank is too high. We'll have to keep going until we find lower ground and slower currents."

Nami shouted over the noise of a nearby waterfall. The river was surrounded by cliffs and dangerous rapids. Not even half a mile further and the bank dipped down and the current slowed. The noise of the waterfall was more muffled down there. A rope and pulley system was anchored to a rock nearby, and Nami surmised that this was where the villagers filled their casks. It seemed that the citizens would hoist their casks down with rope to fill them, like pulling water from a well, ingenious.

While Zoro filled the casks, Nami admired the area while vigorously sketching in a small tablet that she carried with her, quickly mapping out everything she saw and had already seen of the island. Tapping the pencil against her lower lip, the orange haired woman's eyes finally lifted from the paper, where she was met with the appealing sight of flexing muscle as Zoro heaved a heavy cask full of water back up to the bank. She would admit that the man was attractive. Anyone with eyes could see that. But they were nakama, and he was a crude idiot with no sense of direction. Fate was definitely not turned in their favor.

The walk back toward the village was lighter. They hadn't run into a creepy old witch and their mission for fresh water was complete. Better yet, the log pose had already shifted to point in the direction of the next island. Everything was ready to go, and Nami was looking forward to getting off of this island. Despite the fact that they had finished their task unharmed, she couldn't ignore the eerie feeling of being watched, or the way the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

"These damn things are heavy."

Zoro grunted over the sound of the waterfall ahead of them, and Nami glanced over at her companion. He was hauling all four of the water casks on his back without help. The man was exceptionally strong.

"Oh please, I've seen you lift a lot more weight than that."

She had to get in little jabs where she could, not only because it was fun, but because it distracted her from the chilling realization that something was indeed off about these woods.

"Didn't realize you'd been watching me, Nami," his cheeky reply caused her to glance up to meet his gaze.

His eyes danced with a hidden mirth that made her stomach flip uncomfortably. Was he flirting with her? The way he said her name did funny things to her heart, and bewildered chocolate-brown eyes met his amused expression. She had just been about to open her mouth and say something when a figure suddenly emerged from the shadow of the trees. Everything happened in an instant, the water casks crashing to the ground, Zoro's taller form suddenly blocking her view, and a very feminine chuckle barely heard over the sound of the falls.

"Oh my, so protective."

The slender woman purred, finally coming into full view. She was Nami's height and just as curvy. With long raven locks that nearly touched the ground and alabaster skin that glowed in the mist of the river. She was dressed in a long midnight-blue gown that tied closed in the front, a large slit in the side revealing shapely legs. Needless to say, the woman was beautiful, but something about her sent a cold chill down Nami's spine. Zoro had already withdrawn two of his swords, every muscle in his body tensed and ready for attack.

"Are you the witch I keep hearing about?"

Leave it to Zoro to get straight to the point. A hearty laugh left the woman, effectively drawing the eye to her shapely and barely covered chest, but the action only served to piss Zoro off, an impatient growl escaping his throat. He felt threatened. The woman reeked of evil.

"I prefer to think of myself as a gift giver."

When she received no response, the woman continued.

"I can see and grant your deepest desires."

A playful grin graced her lips as she moved a little closer, only to receive a deadly glare from the swordsman. So, the man didn't believe her. This one would be a tough nut to crack, but oh how she loved the game.

"Or your deepest fears."

Her tone had turned menacing, but only for a brief second before she became all seductress once more. She took another step forward and Zoro moved to warn her with his blades when a pair of soft hands suddenly distracted him. He stood frozen in place while Nami's hands moved over his muscled torso, admiring each abdominal muscle before moving to his chest. He wanted to ask her what the hell she was doing, but her hot breath against the back of his neck effectively wiped all thought from his mind.

"Zoro."

Nami suddenly moved around his side and stepped between his swords until they were face to face, her hands still roaming over his front. He tried to stamp down on the growing desire that began to coil in his stomach, but Zoro would admit that Nami was an attractive woman, and it wouldn't be the first time he had thought of her as more than just nakama.

"I can make her do whatever you want."

The woman's taunting wouldn't work of course, but Zoro found himself unable to move, as if the woman were controlling him as well. Slowly, Nami's hands moved to encircle his neck, and he mentally screamed at himself to move, but to no avail. The navigator moved closer, until their lips were only about three inches apart. It was in that moment that Nami's eyes finally flickered to meet his. She looked afraid, silently pleading for him to understand that she wasn't doing this willingly. It was enough to break the spell, and Zoro growled before wrenching out of her grasp and rounding on the raven haired beauty.

"Oh don't act like you didn't like that."

The woman laughed, and Zoro lunged at her. There were very few people in the world that could dodge an attack from Zoro, and apparently this woman was one of them. She moved to the side as if with ease, and Zoro found that his arms felt unbearably heavy. It was the first time, aside from the event with Nami just moments prior, that he didn't feel entirely in control. What the hell was going on?

"Fine then, greatest fear it is."

He watched in horror as Nami suddenly took a step toward the cliff, that same frightened expression in her lovely brown eyes, but her face completely blank.

"You bitch! Let her go!"

Another step, and Zoro fought the invisible bonds that held him desperately. He felt utterly helpless as she took another step, her heel on the very edge of the rock, his heart hammering in his chest with what he knew to be fear. Roronoa Zoro was afraid, and the woman in blue silk appeared to be enjoying it, even feeding off of it.

A bead of sweat rolled down Zoro's face, the only evidence that he was struggling with all of his strength to move. He had to save Nami, if she died…

"Too bad, such a pretty girl."

Nami took the last step, breaking the woman's hold on her just long enough to scream, one word.

"Zoro!"

"Nami!"

Her name came out in a roar as he finally managed to wriggle out of the witch's invisible spell and Nami tumbled over the side. There was no time to grab her so she wouldn't fall, so Zoro did what he did best, acting on instinct. The witch watched in surprise as the green haired man jumped over the cliff without hesitation.

"This is going to be fun."

Grinning, the witch made her way back into the woods.

"I'll be seeing you two soon."

He angled his body to increase his speed, catching up to Nami and quickly wrapping her up in his arms. Finally free of the spell, she clung to him as he folded his body over hers without a word just before they hit the water. Zoro choked out a moan of pain when his side landed hard against a sharp rock on the bottom of the riverbed before the current ripped them downstream. The water pinned them down to the bottom, bashing them against the rocks and making them helpless to take a breath. Lungs burning, side throbbing, they were no more than ragdolls in the raging river. Until it finally relented and Zoro shoved them upwards to take a breath.

Coughing water out of his lungs, Zoro swam toward the shore with Nami still in his arms, dragging them both up onto land before he rolled onto his back with a hiss of pain, his white shirt quickly turning pink with blood. Nami coughed and gasped for breath, violently shaking because of the chilly spring water.

"Thank you…"

It wasn't like Nami to be polite, and Zoro glanced over at her in curiosity to see her shivers. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, his heart melted just a little.

"I knew you wouldn't let me die."

She chuckled this time, and Zoro smiled. It was both a burden and a blessing that the entire crew could rely on him as first mate, and as their friend.

"How long do you think it will take us to get back?"

He sat up to scan their surroundings. The trees looked different and he could no longer hear the rush of the waterfall. Nami glanced at her wrist, relieved to see that the log pose had survived the rough journey. She herself had made it out of the river with only a few cuts and bruises, Zoro had shielded her from most of the blows.

"I'm not really sure where we are but… Based on the speed of the current and the amount of time we were under water, I'd say a week minimum."

**[][][][][][]**

**A/N: **Well, I hope that you're enjoying this story so far! Photo courtesy of Meru90 from DeviantArt. (**Thanks to my amazing friend and beta Oceanwind for editing my numerous errors.)** I realize that it started out slow, since honestly I had no idea how to start this story. I just knew where I needed them to end up in order for the real plot to surface. It gets better, I promise! Thanks for reading!


	2. All About The Game

**Seven Days**

_Chapter 2: All About The Game_

One week stuck in the wilderness of an island they didn't know. Had she been stuck with Usopp, it would have been a nightmare. No offense to their quirky sniper, but Luffy and Zoro definitely had the upper hand should anything bad arise. As the shock slowly began to wear off, Nami came back to her senses, and became all business.

"Well don't just sit there all day. We need to get going if we're ever going to make it back," she snapped. She stood up abruptly and brushed off a few flecks of mud that the river bank had coated on her legs. Disgruntled, she rubbed her now muddy hands on Zoro as he stood up. He glared at her.

"Do I look like a fucking hand towel?"

"Do I need to answer that?" she purred and laughed lightly. Her breath was shaky and it was obvious she was just trying to bring back a piece of normalcy in the situation. And what better way to do that then to tease him like she always did?

One minute she was thanking him for saving her life and the next she was ordering him around and rubbing mud all over his shirt. Despite their situation, her quick recovery helped to put him at ease. He definitely preferred Nami bossy and confident. He could handle that Nami.

Though it appeared effortless, it took quite a bit of strength for Zoro to haul himself up from the ground and he nearly stumbled when she wiped her hands off on him. He had been through far worse than this, but the chilly spring air coupled with the frigid water made the pain much more intense than he had expected. That and the fact that a woman had momentarily rendered him incapable of defending his friend, and himself for that matter, had deeply unsettled the swordsman. Zoro was always in control, always collected. He didn't like being made into no more than a puppet, even for an instance, to some psychotic witch.

Ignoring the shock of pain that radiated up his side and into his shoulder, Zoro knew he appeared completely calm as he firmly planted his feet on solid ground before checking his swords for injury. The sheaths had taken quite a beating in the rapids but the blades were left unscathed. His touch lingered on Wado for just a moment longer before he finally gave Nami his full attention. She was still shivering, and he resisted the urge to do so himself. At least if they were moving they would warm up, and dry in the process.

Zoro moved to head into the woods.

"Wrong way idiot,"

Nami hissed, she was already heading in the opposite direction up the river. He growled and hurriedly caught up with her. Although he thought his sense of direction pretty good, he followed her anyway, she was the navigator after all. As they walked, he could feel her gaze land on him occasionally, only for her to look away whenever he caught her staring. It was obvious that they were both avoiding the awkward topic of what had transpired between them earlier.

Nami was the first to break the silence after about half an hour of walking.

"Your wound needs to be treated."

He had assumed she wouldn't notice, which was of course ridiculous. Even though his stomach band covered the puncture, the white cotton of his shirt had quickly begun to soak up the fluid and stain the fabric a dark pink.

"I'm fine."

But of course the navigator didn't listen. She moved off ahead of him into a patch of wild flowers. Confused, Zoro stayed where he was until she came back with a purple bundle in hand. He watched with curiosity as she popped the plant into her mouth and chewed a few times before suddenly tugging the stomach band down and his shirt up and off, eliciting a hiss of discomfort from the man.

He didn't need to look down to know that the wound was bad. Nami's suddenly pale face and the brief flicker of fear in her eyes was enough to tip him off. Zoro wasn't worried though. He had survived a strike from Mihawk's blade, he was confident that he could handle a blow from a river rock.

"What are you doing?" He asked just as she spat the chewed flower into her hand and applied it to the wound. This time Zoro was prepared, and he bit back the grunt of pain that threatened to leave his lips. Nami didn't answer at first she just continued to apply the damp plant to the laceration.

"Lavender is a natural antiseptic," she finally explained, "it may not be enough to stop infection from setting in, but it will at least slow the process down. "

He was listening but his eyes trailed to her mid-section when she suddenly untied the knot at the back of her shirt and began tearing the fabric from the belly-button down. He watched as she stretched the material to its limit before wrapping it around his middle and effectively fashioning a cloth bandage. If they left the wound exposed the insects would have a hay day. He was already a temptation for wild animals as it was.

There was regret in her expression as she finally stood straight to survey her handiwork. It was easy enough to guess why she felt remorse. He had been injured trying to save her. But Zoro saw things differently. He owed his life to Luffy. If it hadn't been for their Captain, he would probably never have made progress fulfilling his dream. And if a man had no dream to fight for, living became pretty mundane and pointless. And although he would deny it if anyone pointed it out, he had developed affection for each of his crew mates. They had become family, despite their differences, and Zoro would have done the same for any of them.

"Better not charge me for this," he growled lowly.

He forced his tone to sound condescending, if only to wipe that sad look off of her face. It worked, and he almost smirked when she immediately shot him a glare and her posture became rigid.

"Gee thanks for patching me up, Nami. Oh you're welcome Zoro, it was nothing," she snorted before turning on her heel in the direction they had previously been travelling. He would have laughed had she not started walking fast enough that he nearly had to jog to keep up with her.

"Just for that, I SHOULD charge you."

Rolling his eyes, Zoro simply tugged on his shirt and righted his stomach band. He wouldn't say it out loud, but the wound did feel a little better. At least if she stayed angry with him, it would keep her mind off of the fact that they were being hunted by a witch and it would take them at least a week to get back to the others, if not longer.

"Put it on my tab," he shot back cheekily and just barely dodged a blow from her clima tact. It always amazed him that she could keep such a thing in her cleavage without it being obvious.

"You're such an arrogant-"

She swung at him and again he dodged the attack, readying himself for another. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and he had to wonder if her strong reaction was a result of fear for his health or for their situation.

"Mentally challenged-"

Another swing, this one Zoro blocked with the blunt side of his swords. He was a little surprised at the force behind the strike. The woman was stronger than she looked.

"Moron!"

Her cheeks only flushed more as she calmed down and it dawned on her that he was grinning like an idiot.

"Thanks, Nami."

The gratitude was so sudden and so cockily delivered that she wasn't sure how to react. Had he been purposely pushing her buttons to get a rise out of her? It was obvious that his intent had been to distract her from their dismal predicament and to allow her to vent some of her frustration at the risk of injuring himself further. The thoughtful act completely took her off guard. It wasn't like Zoro, or at least not like the Zoro she had always assumed him to be, uncaring and unaffected. She opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again in confusion before she huffed and turned away from him, this time walking at a normal pace so that he could follow without irritating his wound.

**[][][][][][][]**

"Sanjiiii…."

Their forlorn Captain sat on the ground of the village square trying his best to appear starved.

"We're not eating until Nami-san returns. That moss-head bastard had better be keeping her safe."

The cook furiously puffed on his cigarette, chewing the end between clenched teeth. It had been well over the hour that the two had promised to return from gathering water.

"I bet they found some meat. They're eating without us!" Luffy bemoaned his suffering while Usopp paced back and forth in front of him.

"Or they were attacked and eaten by a giant island monster! Like the time when I discovered an uncharted chunk of land in the East Blue and defeated a-"

"I'm sure the journey just took a little longer than anticipated. Swordsman-san is with her so I'm sure that Navigator-san is just fine," Robin interrupted while flipping through the worn pages of an island guide. It was well written and very thorough. She didn't want to concern the others, but if the book was accurate, Zoro and Nami should have returned hours ago.

"Kouta-san!"

The hysteric cry of a frightened child interrupted the conversation of the crew. All eyes turned to the child in question as the boy came running to a man dressed in ragged cloth. In response, most of the village had gathered in the square to see what all of the commotion was.

"She got them! The witch got them!"

The boy was out of breath and clearly shaken up and the tall beggar placed a firm hand of encouragement on the child's shoulder.

"I just went to get some water and she was there. They went over the cliff!" the child shrieked pulling at the beggar's robes. "Do something Kouta-san!"

The child was on the verge of tears and his mother stepped forward to envelope him in comforting arms while the rest of the village erupted in a stream of whispered conversation. Overhearing the discussion, Robin was immediately interested. It was taking a leap, but she guessed that the individuals mentioned were their missing crew mates.

"A witch?" The archeologist questioned innocently and all conversation immediately ceased. It was as if the villagers were just now realizing that there were outsiders here. The beggar regarded the crew with thoughtful eyes before finally stepping forward from the group.

"That's the creepy old man from earlier!" Chopper piped up before hiding behind Luffy when the old man grinned in response. Their Captain was not intimidated, however, and after only a moment of silence, he tilted his hat back to sniff the air.

"You stink, old guy."

Instead of appearing insulted, the man bellowed with laughter before suddenly removing the tattered and smelly cloth and tossing it aside while simultaneously removing the false rotted teeth. The man beneath the filthy disguise was quite a contrast to the beggar they had assumed him to be. Dressed in a pristine blue suit, he appeared even larger than originally thought, standing easily at six foot five inches tall with a solid chest and well developed arms. Neatly trimmed chestnut hair was dusted with hints of gray and warm honey-brown eyes danced with both regalement and anguish.

"I'm afraid your friends have been targeted by the witch," he told them. The smooth timbre of his voice offered both authority and comfort, but his words did not. Sanji was the first to snap, biting his cigarette in half out of irritation before stepping forward and grabbing a fist full of the man's suit jacket.

"What do you mean Nami-san has been targeted by a witch?!" Sanji snarled.

"And Zoro!" Chopper interjected. Gingerly, the large man disentangled himself from the angry cook and straightened out his suit.

"Ten years ago this place was known as Coppice Island."

The way he said it made it clear that the name transition was not cause to celebrate.

"Our large supply of fresh water and lumber was widely popular among pirates and other sea-goers. We traded with many of our neighboring islands, mostly medical supplies and exotic foods."

Kouta smiled fondly at the memory of the flourishing community.

"There were villages all over the island and harbors all along the coast. This place was peaceful, an escape from the terrors of the Grand Line" The village itself was well structured, with sturdy buildings and clean streets. But it certainly didn't look like a once thriving trade community.

"Most of the pirates paid us in gold or other treasures. For the most part the travelers we had come in contact with had been friendly. Rather than turning the gold in for cash we stored it in the island's capital city as an emergency supply."

"You were robbed…" Robin guessed with accuracy because the man nodded and turned his eyes downcast and his posture tensed. No wonder they had all ignored the crew until now. They figured that if they kept their heads down and appeared uninterested and without money, no one would have a reason to cause trouble.

"So a witch robbed you?" Luffy interrupted with a mouth full of food garbling his words.

"What are you eating?!" Sanji yelled and followed the stretched rubber arm until he found Luffy's hand buried in their purchased food supplies. Having been caught, Luffy quickly snapped his arm back to normal length and shoved a large chunk of ham into his mouth, chewing with puffed up cheeks and an innocent expression.

"I said no eating the food until Nami-san gets back!"

A few hard kicks later and Luffy sat cross-legged with several bumps and bruises on his head, face and torso.

"Sorry," he grumbled in a dazed voice.

Kouta had paused to watch the odd scene unfold. Despite his childish antics, something about the Captain gave off an air of trust and goodness. They were definitely not like most pirates. In all honestly, the young man reminded him of another pirate he had previously had the pleasure of crossing paths with back when the island was still a thriving harbor town. Gol D. Roger.

"Rumor had gotten out about our stored treasure and the island was attacked by a group of pirates. They called themselves The Witch Pirates. The crew was made up entirely of women, and our town was well supplied with strong men so we foolishly assumed that we could easily defeat them."

"The Witch Pirates," Robin spoke mostly to herself but all eyes turned to the woman who of course had her nose in a book.

"Their leader was said to possess devil fruit powers that allow her to temporarily control a person's movement," she offered quietly. Her face stoic as she waited patiently for the old man to continue.

It was no surprise that the archeologist knew these things. She was constantly reading and her mind seemed to absorb the information with ease.

"Yes. She ate the Puppet Puppet fruit. We were so easily beaten. They stole the treasure, destroyed our irrigation system and burned the villages one by one."

These honest working people who had once populated the entire island had been reduced to a few hundred, to one village.

"But you refer to her as The Witch, is there only one left?" Usopp spoke up this time, absorbing every detail of the story. He could use it later on as one of his own heroic tales.

"The gold was what they wanted. After they got it, we thought they would leave. But the Captain wanted to stay. She gets some sick thrill off of manipulating powerful people. She dismissed her crew and has been living in the woods ever since."

The twisted woman got off on controlling those more powerful than her. Finally stepping out from behind their captain, Chopper eyed the ragged attire that Kouta had previously shed.

"Is that why you were dressed like a beggar?"

The little reindeer questioned. The man definitely seemed powerful and would easily be a target of the witch himself, although disguising himself seemed cowardly. The man suddenly smiled.

"I don't believe I ever introduced myself. My name is Kouta, and I'm the mayor of Coppice Island."

He paused dramatically to allow the Straw Hats to absorb the information.

"I've been dressing like a beggar to spy on the witch, to find her weakness. She usually leaves people she deems as weak alone."

"And did you find anything?"

A wild grin lit up the man's face.

"Her powers don't work at night. You see, her powers only allow her to manipulate a person's shadow, so when the sun isn't present, she's just an ordinary woman."

Movement to the left of the group caught everyone's attention.

"Luffy, where are you going?"

Their captain stopped in his tracks to turn and face them, his straw hat tilted down and his eyes shadowed by the brim.

"I'm hungry."

Usopp and Sanji both gaped.

"But Nami and Zoro are missing!"

The captain grinned widely.

"They're fine. It's Zoro and Nami."

It was incredible the amount of faith that the captain had in his crew, but in Nami and Zoro especially. He knew that as long as the two were together, Nami would get them back, and Zoro would ensure that it was done safely. Of that he had no doubt. His stomach growled impatiently as Sanji sent another swift kick in his direction.

**[][][][][][]**

Late afternoon came quickly and Nami's feet were beginning to ache. Her shoes were not exactly ideal for climbing over boulders and wading through the occasional stream. They had been hiking for hours and it still felt like they weren't making any progress. It would take them days to get back to the crew, maybe even longer if they ran into any sort of obstacle. Not to mention she was hungry. Luffy had eaten her breakfast this morning and her stomach was beginning to protest.

"My feet are killing me," she groaned, mostly to herself.

Zoro expected her to ask him to carry her like she usually did, but instead he was met with an angry growl from her stomach.

"I think we should get something to eat and take a break," he said and stopped meaningfully in front of her forcing her to stop as well.

He could have kept going, but they both needed food, and he didn't want to push her too far. They were in a dangerous situation and normal people would be terrified. They needed to keep a clear head and wearing her to her limit would prove disastrous. You wouldn't know it without really digging deep beneath the surface, but Zoro was actually very caring. It showed in the way he treated Chopper, in the way he protected Nami, and in the way he suddenly jumped into the river without warning.

They had come to another area where the river became more like a lake, with calm currents and deep beds. Completely confused, Nami could only watch as he disappeared beneath the surface, only to resurface a moment later lugging a huge fish. He tossed the thing onto the shore before hauling himself up after it, and Nami grimaced while the creature flopped helplessly in the dirt.

"You expect me to eat that?"

She had gotten so used to being spoiled by Sanji that the idea of eating roasted fish without seasonings, sauces, or plates seemed barbaric.

"Gotten learn to fend for yourself, Sweetheart," Zoro rumbled sarcastically before decapitating the fish with one smooth strike of his blade. Nami could only watch in amazement while the swordsman gathered wood and started a fire with ease, setting the fish to cook to the side on a stick. For a man who couldn't tell North from South, he was certainly at home in a survival situation.

While she continued to stand there like an idiot, Zoro tugged off his stomach band and shirt and set them aside to dry by the fire. Sitting down on a nearby rock, he removed his shoes as well before glancing over at his comrade.

"What?"

She was looking at him as if they had never met before. It was rare for Nami to see him in an environment where he was more than just the person constantly saving her. In this situation Zoro was her protector, provider, and friend. She was well aware that he could have kept going, the man had more stamina and endurance than seemed humanly possible, and yet he stopped to allow her to rest.

He was being thoughtful, and it was a trait that she had never previously taken the time to notice in the swordsman before. Had her eyes been open, she would have noticed the way he treated their doctor, the way he handled small children, and the fact that he always did as she asked, not because he had to. They both knew that the debt she threatened him with wasn't serious.

"Nothing, I guess I'm just tired."

Moving over to the fire, Nami warmed her hands over the flame. Her clothes were mostly dry but the air grew colder as the day became late. After a while she moved to sit next to Zoro and removed her own shoes, wincing as she leaned over to massage the abused appendages.

"Ouch."

She grimaced when Zoro spoke and leaned forward to inspect her feet. They were slightly swollen and her delicate skin had been rubbed raw in several places where grains of river sand stuck to the fabric of her shoes and rubbed against her. He gave her ankle an experimental squeeze and frowned when she jerked in pain.

"We're camping here for the night," he said stiffly.

There was no room for argument in his statement.

"I'm fine, Zoro."

Wringing out his pant legs, his dark colored eyes studied the ankle he had squeezed.

"You sprained your ankle, probably when you went over the cliff. You fell at an awkward angle."

The fact that she had been walking on it for the last few hours concerned him. She had said nothing of the pain and her stride had seemed completely normal. Of course, with his own injury he hadn't exactly been paying attention as much as he should have.

"I can keep going."

Her tone was defensive, but Zoro didn't bite.

"If you rest it tonight, we can make up the lost ground tomorrow."

That seemed to settle things and Zoro set to work cutting up the fish, and in the flicker of the firelight, Nami smiled.

**[][][][][][]**

The air grew several degrees colder as the sun went down, and even the heat of the fire couldn't keep the chill at bay. It was the kind of cold that breeched the barriers of clothing and bit the skin. With a satisfied stomach, Zoro had already redressed and moved to lie down on the ground. His swords rested just off to the side within arm's reach and he supported his head with one hand. Nami wasn't fairing as well.

Huddled close to the fire, she still couldn't stop herself from shivering. Her teeth chattered painfully whenever she opened her mouth to speak, and eventually she found herself curled into a ball to conserve warmth. It wasn't working. Spring was almost worse than winter. The days could be sweltering while the nights could turn so cold they stole your breath away.

Glancing through the lingering flames, Nami frowned when she noticed that Zoro wasn't shivering at all. At first she assumed he had already fallen asleep, at least until he suddenly spread his other arm out to the side, opening himself up in invitation. Normally the action would appear suggestive and result in added debt or a punch to the head, but Zoro wasn't like most men. She knew without the need for words that he was offering her a little bit of warmth so that she could sleep, and she took it.

Getting up from the ground, she slowly made her way around the makeshift fire pit where Zoro remained in wait. His eyes were still closed and she couldn't help wondering if he was feigning sleep to make her feel better about the situation. The man was definitely full of surprises. Still trembling, Nami curled up into his side and almost automatically his arm wrapped around her in response. It only took a few minutes for her shivering to subside, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that Zoro's body temperature was slightly higher than an average person's, cocooning her in warmth.

"You smell like sweat," she muttered after a moment. She directed the statement at him but she knew he could pretend he didn't hear it. All the same his hand flexed slightly over her stomach but that was the only response she got from him for several minutes.

It was an insult but they both caught the underlying tone. It was the navigator's way of saying thank you without directly acknowledging his kindness.

"You don't exactly smell like mikans yourself," he grumbled lowly. If he wanted he could claim he was talking in his sleep.

She did, but he wouldn't openly admit it. It was the swordsman's way of saying you're welcome, and Nami finally drifted off to sleep with surprising ease, lulled by the sound of soft snoring.

**[][][][][][]**

The woman was definitely the swordsman's weakness. He seemed like the type to know if he was being watched, and yet he remained unaware of the searching eyes hidden in the shadow of the forest. With the sun already well below the tree line, her devil fruit powers would be of no use here, and she would prove to be no match in a physical fight.

"When do we strike, Captain?"

A gruff male voice interrupted the silence, but the group was far enough away from the couple that their presence would remain a secret.

"Don't be hasty. We wait for the right moment."

Though she had dismissed her fleet of female crew members long ago, she enjoyed manipulating strong men in particular. They were difficult to break, and the challenge was what she thrived on. Eventually, they all broke. After burning most of the villagers around the island, several of the strong men they had enlisted to protect the communities had fallen under her spell. The woman didn't live alone in the wilderness. She had to have a few boy toys to jerk around, after all.

"They won't get very far too fast with a bum ankle and an injured protector."

Turning away from the couple, the group of six disappeared into the foliage just as the fire burned out completely.

"It's all about the game, boys…. It's all about the game."

**[][][][][][][]**

**A/N:** Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! It was encouraging to see such positive feedback from one single chapter. I'm going to strive to update this story twice a month, but it may have to be one update per month as I do work a full time job. Kudos and thanks once again to my wonderful friend and beta Oceanwind. She has truly spared you all from some ghastly errors and even added to the humor.

**fmdevil:** Wow thank you! I'm so glad that you find the plot solid as well as the characters! I try very hard to keep them all in character.

**Guest:** I'm afraid that you read into that sentence wrong and I hope that I cleared that up for you in this chapter. Nami was in shock, gratitude is normal in that kind of situation but I can assure you that I have no intention of rushing their relationship. I have never been a fan of insta-romance. It really takes away from the anticipation and plot.

I wish that I could individually respond to all of you right here but I intend to through private messaging. I like to thank each of my reviewers individually. Thank you all again for your continued support and encouragement! This chapter was meant to be more informative than exciting, but I can assure you that chapter 3 is already in the works and it is stuffed full of action. Happy reading!

- Brittany.


	3. Don't Leave Me

**Seven Days**

_Chapter 3: Don't Leave Me_

It was amazing how a different environment could change a person's perspective entirely. It had dawned on Nami the previous day that despite the fact that she loved each and every one of her nakama, she didn't know many of their stories, save for the ones she had been there to witness. The subject had never come up, and for some reason she had never thought to ask. They were like family and yet she knew nothing of their pasts, of the events that made them who they are.

The first time she had met Zoro, he had saved her from an attack by Buggy and his crew. He had protected her without even knowing her name simply because she was trying to help Luffy, and because she was in trouble. That was just the kind of man he was. She didn't have to know his past to see that much. Then he had saved their Captain while severely injured, and earned a bit of respect in the navigator's eyes. She wouldn't even mention all of the other times he had saved her life, taken the blows meant for her, and tried to take some of the weight off of her shoulders.

The swordsman had many good qualities, most of which she had appreciated but never openly acknowledged in the past. He was intelligent, though not in the same way that she and Robin were, and held no hesitation in battle. Even while in pursuit of his dream, she knew that if the situation called for it, he would give his life while fighting for a member of the crew, and almost had many times. He was surprisingly kind to children in his own way, and fiercely loyal to his friends.

Nami had always known he was a decent man, but had always hid behind her insults and gold in order to avoid what was right in front of her, the undeniable connection between them. Even now she was learning things about the swordsman. Several times during the night she had woken to the feel of Zoro tensing, one hand moving to grasp his swords before she even heard the faint sound of a twig snapping. They hadn't been attacked, but where she had always assumed he slept like the dead, it became clear that even in slumber he was always on alert, always ready to protect those he cared for.

For sleeping on the ground without so much as a blanket, Nami had slept fairly well. The sounds of birds chirping and Zoro snoring greeted her the moment she opened her eyes just as the sun came peeking over the horizon. She found the quiet rumble in his chest kind of comforting, a reassuring sign that he was still there even while she slept and that no harm would come to her. The swordsman's arm was still around her to keep her warm, but his grip was loose enough that she managed to sit up and rub the sleep from her eyes. Though her ankle didn't feel completely better, the swelling had gone down significantly and she had to mentally applaud Zoro for forcing her to rest it.

The sky came alive with various hues of orange and pink and Nami moved to stand on slightly shaky legs. Once she got her bearings, she moved over to the slow moving river and sat down on the ground, dipping her bare feet into the nearly freezing water. The temperature would help to dull the ache and once Zoro was awake they could start moving again. She had never much liked the forest. The close cluster of trees made her feel trapped and brought back memories of her slavery to Arlong. She much preferred the open waters of the sea, where freedom beckoned at every angle, and the sound of her friends laughing could bring a smile to her lips even on the darkest of days.

It was Luffy who had saved her from that life, but she had never failed to remember that he hadn't done so alone. The entire crew had worked their hardest to ensure her freedom. They had fought simply because of her tears, even when she had pushed them away. She could never have asked for better friends, of that much she was certain. Dipping her hands into the coolness of the water, Nami began washing away the dirt, sweat and smell of the previous day's travel, shivering a little in response.

It dawned on her shortly after that a piece of fish was dangling in front of her face. How long had she been lost in thought? Coming back to reality, Nami blinked at the food only to realize that Zoro was waiting for her to take it from him. Absently, she accepted the meat and noticed that it was warm. Confused, she glanced over her shoulder to see that a fire had been started and the food reheated. She must have really been out of it.

"Trying to sweeten your way into a little discount on your debt?" Nami smirked even as she bit into the left over fish.

She couldn't help jabbing at him for his kindness. It was her way of keeping a bit of distance between them. She trusted Zoro, but experience had taught her that most people had ulterior motives. And she wasn't sure if she should allow herself to get used to this side of the swordsman. Once they got back to the crew everything would go back to normal, wouldn't it?

Rolling his eyes, Zoro plopped down beside her, one leg stretched straight out in front of him while the other was propped up and supporting his arm.

"We both know that even if you gave me a discount you'd just find another reason to charge me, like breathing," he shot back and took a large bite out of his own chunk of fish. He barely caught Nami's smile out of the corner of his eye.

After finishing his food, Zoro also washed off the previous day's grime in the river before standing once more and collecting his swords. He always felt a little naked without them.

"We need to cover at least twenty miles of ground today if we're going to make up for yesterday," Nami informed him and stood to help him cover the fire with dirt as they prepared to move.

She completely ignored his playful jab, mostly because it was true. She was constantly making up reasons to add to his debt, more so than she did with any of the other crew members. Money just made sense to Nami. If people owed you money, they were bound to you in a way. Years of being a slave to a large sum of cash had taught her that.

It could be speculated that she only continued to add on to his debt because she was afraid that he wouldn't stick around otherwise. It was a ridiculous thought, considering he was loyal to Luffy and fully intended to stay with him, but Nami wasn't used to being able to keep things and people she cared for. The sting of loss had cut her deep and even though they both knew that his debt was just an excuse, Zoro was a man of his word. He would work to pay her back and it would take time. Charging him had become a natural reflex, one she did as easily as breathing.

"Piece of cake," Zoro said with confidence. In reality it wouldn't be so easy with Nami's injury, but he figured that once her ankle gave out completely he could simply carry her. The constant throbbing of his own wound was nothing compared to what he had been through before.

After putting her shoes back on and leading the way up the river, Nami felt confident that she could finish the journey. Her ankle didn't hurt near as badly as it had the night before, but of course she wasn't a doctor. She only knew what Chopper had taught her and what she had picked up while traveling on her own.

Two hours into their hike and her ankle flared to life with a pain so sharp it took her breath away. Who would have thought that a sprain could be so painful? It was clear that walking on the limb had been a mistake, but she said nothing and tried her best to appear normal. Even though she had several times in the past, Nami never liked appearing weak in Zoro's eyes. Sure, she asked him to carry her, used him to earn money and constantly found herself in harm's way so that he had to save her, but out here when they only had each other to depend on, she didn't want to be useless.

Fighting back a grimace with each step, she began to fall behind Zoro's normal stride. It was frustrating that even with such a serious injury he could keep going as if nothing was wrong. A few more steps and the pain became nearly unbearable. It was as if someone had taken a hammer to her leg and shattered it. The increasing agony made her begin to think that it probably wasn't just sprained.

"I just need some water!" She called out to Zoro before meandering over to the river.

It was a lie but she just didn't want him to know that she needed a break. She was the reason they were falling behind schedule and she desperately hated to be a burden. Carefully, she got to her knees and cupped her hands, gingerly taking a sip of cold water even though she was a little nauseous from the pain. Unlike Zoro, she wasn't accustomed to injuries and her body wasn't really sure how to ignore the radiating feel of fire in her calf.

By the time she got back on her feet, Zoro had come back for her. Flashing him her best confident smile, she pushed past him to continue walking, but a strong arm around her middle stopped her from going any further.

"What are you-"

Zoro picked her up like she weighed nothing and slung her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes before continuing on his way casually. Nami wasn't sure how to react at first, and she remained perfectly still until her mind processed the situation.

"Hey! I can walk on my own!" Nami huffed and poked at his back; taking advantage of the position he had put her in. A piggy back ride would have been far more practical.

"You're slow. This is faster," he grunted, as if his reasoning was obvious.

Zoro wasn't stupid, he had noticed the change in her stature two miles back, but since she had seemed adamant on keeping it a secret, had said nothing. He didn't give away the fact that he knew why she had slowed down. He respected her determination, but it would only delay their progress.

"It's not my fault you have freakishly long legs!" Nami squirmed childishly but Zoro adapted to her movement with ease.

"You're heavy, witch. Stop moving," He snapped and almost thanked the God he didn't believe in when the woman on his shoulders stilled and grew silent in both shock and anger.

It was funny, until she punched him in the back hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"What the hell was that for?!" Zoro unceremoniously dropped her back onto her feet and met a pair of angry brown eyes.

"Don't call me witch," she hissed.

It was the venom with which she said it that took Zoro by surprise. He always called her witch, what made this time any different?

"I'm not like her," her tone was defensive, and Zoro realized she was talking about the woman that had sent them over the cliff. The villagers had called her a witch.

Zoro smirked, and the action only fueled the flames of her anger. Nami did not appreciate being put in the same category as a woman who would hurt innocent people. She wasn't exactly a saint but she did have morals and she would never purposely put her friends in harm's way.

"That bitch has nothing on you," his crude response would have been insulting to anyone who didn't know him, but the underlying affection in his retort didn't escape Nami. She hadn't noticed the teasing tone in the nickname before. It was enough to discern the fact that when he called Nami a witch, he didn't mean it in the same way that he did when he said it about the raven haired woman from before.

"Come on, we need to keep moving," Zoro was looking into the trees to their left and his jaw was tense. Obviously he sensed it too, the feeling of being watched again. The swordsman knelt down on one knee this time, an invitation for Nami to climb onto his back. She hesitated for a moment, not because she was uncomfortable with the close proximity, but because Zoro was pretty seriously wounded. He really didn't need the added weight on his body, but she would only slow them down if he left her to her own devices. Finally, Nami climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he stood, shifting her a little and slipping his arms under her thighs to help hold her up.

The position took all of the pressure off of her ankle, but it also nudged her thigh right up against his injured side. She tried her best not to squirm so as not to irritate the sensitive flesh. Zoro continued walking at the same pace as he had earlier, as if the extra burden was nothing.

Nami's ankle throbbed from the earlier stress as they progressed, but the pain had subsided considerably. It was the eerie feeling of eyes peering at them in the woods and the heightened temperature of Zoro's body that kept her mind off of it. He shouldn't be this warm. She knew that his body temperature ran higher than a normal person's but he seemed to be getting warmer. She hoped it was only the sun and exercise that heated his skin otherwise the spike in temperature could be the beginning sign of infection.

"Do you think she can really see our deepest desires and fears?"

Her breath tickled the side of Zoro's neck as she whispered against his ear, afraid that someone else might be listening.

If he said yes, he would be admitting to the fact that he wanted Nami as more than just nakama, and that her death was something he feared. But if he denied those facts, he'd be lying… Zoro was many things but a liar wasn't one of them.

"I think she just acts and watches to see how her victims react. I don't think being right about the desires or fears is what she cares about… She probably just likes manipulating people and watching them sweat."

While Zoro wasn't stupid, it was rare that he gave an intelligent response and Nami stared at him for several minutes as they walked. He was probably right, but it still made her wonder if the witch had guessed correctly. Even under the spell, she hadn't missed the way he had looked at her when she moved to kiss him. The desire to lean in and close the gap between them had been written all over his face. And of course the flicker of distress in his eyes when she had gone over the cliff had not been wasted on the navigator. Had they not been in the clutches of the witch, she would have acknowledged the fact that she had felt something too.

"Do you think the others are alright?" Nami murmured, resting her chin on Zoro's shoulder. Surprisingly, he hadn't complained once since he started carrying her.

"Come on, it's Luffy and the others," she could almost hear his smile and her own lips turned upwards in response. Even in the worst of situations, they could always be certain that their friends would be okay. They were all so different and still together they just made sense.

To say that women were a distraction for the swordsman would have been a lie. He could care less about women. Sure, they were soft and nice to look at but most of them were either after his bounty or not worth his time. To say that Nami was a distraction, however, would have been entirely accurate. He didn't lump her into the vague category of every other woman he had encountered. They had been traveling together in the same crew for long enough that he had come to know her various moods and personality quirks and before he even realized it had come to think of them as both cute and frustrating. The citrus scent of her shampoo even after a day in the wilderness drifted to him in the wind, fogging his brain, as if her arms around him weren't distraction enough.

There had always been something between them that he couldn't quite place. An exciting tension that sparked whenever they argued or touched. She was the only woman that he had actually spent extensive amounts of time thinking about other than Kuina, though that wasn't to say that the thoughts had always been pleasant. She had a way of getting under his skin and annoying him in ways that no one else could, not even Sanji. He should have been able to remain unaffected and instead he always wound up lashing out at her verbally in a failed attempt to stamp down on the damn confusing emotions she brought to the surface.

But despite their constant arguing, he was one of the first to protect her when something went wrong, and one of the last to leave her side in dire situations unless his expertise was needed. Like the time when she had been sick and the entire crew had spent the night in her room. Normally he kept to himself but for the navigator he always seemed to bend his own rules a bit.

"Zoro?"

He swore under his breath when he realized that Nami had asked him a question and he hadn't heard her. But before he could answer a sharp boomerang like weapon came whizzing out of the trees and just barely sliced him on his left thigh before it went flying past them, only to come back a split second later. This time Zoro dodged the flying bade and watched as it gracefully landed in the hand of its owner. Women were not a distraction for Zoro, but Nami was… And in this situation it wasn't a good thing. He should have seen the attack coming.

He could faintly hear Nami gasp in realization when their attacker suddenly cackled and stepped from under the shadow of the trees.

"I missed on purpose you know," the man said casually.

"It's not like you to be so unaware, Roronoa Zoro, I guess that girl really is your weakness," the strange man watched as the swordsman came back to his senses and his handsome face hardened at the obvious challenge.

The laceration on Zoro's leg was the equivalent to a paper cut for a normal person. It was annoying but not enough to slow him down. The swordsman only smiled as he began to lower Nami down to the ground, only to frown when she gripped him tighter.

"You can't just leave me!" She growled and Zoro rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, witch," this time when he used the nickname she didn't even flinch. Instead the crude term of endearment did funny things to her stomach. She had released him and proceeded to glare at him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm just going to take care of this guy and then we can get back on track. I could use the exercise."

It was obvious that Zoro had confidence in his abilities, and from the annoyed rather than frightened expression that Nami was giving him, it was clear that she had complete confidence in them as well.

"Fine but hurry up," she grumbled before moving to sit on one of the large boulders by the river as if they had paused for a mere bathroom break. At this rate they would be walking clear into the night to make up for the ground they had lost.

The man was about Zoro's height and lanky, with long wiry purple hair and aviator sunglasses hiding his eyes from view and only serving to make his smile more unsettling. He was dressed in all black save for the hundreds of little curved blades attached to his outfit. Huffing much like a bored child, Nami studied the stranger from afar and guessed that he had to be somehow involved with the witch. While his weapon was odd, it was definitely effective. She had yet to see another weapon that would return to the owner after an attack other than her clima tact.

"Zoro keep an eye on his weapons. Even if he misses you the first time, the blade returns along the same path." Nami informed the swordsman just as he pulled one sword from its sheath. He would test the guy first to see if he was even worthy of all three.

"Shut up, bitch," the man snarled in annoyance as he readied himself with two of his own blades. The navigator was smart and he couldn't afford to have her calculating his every move and warning his opponent.

"Oi," Zoro's tone had darkened and when the man returned his gaze to the swordsman he was chilled by the warning he found there, but not enough to back down. Instead he only smiled. He had obviously hit a nerve by addressing Nami and he could use it to his advantage.

"Leave her out of this. Your fight is with me."

Even Nami was surprised by the possessiveness of his statement, but she couldn't ignore the pang of satisfaction she felt when the man reluctantly obeyed, if only for a moment.

"What's the matter, Zoro?"

The purple haired man sneered.

"Afraid I might hurt her feelings?"

The idea was laughable to Zoro. Nami was too strong to find insult in the words of a man like him.

"Nope," Zoro responded with a smile. He would admit that the name had bothered him a little, though. In his opinion he was the only one allowed to call her that.

"I just think it would be wise to keep your eyes on your opponent."

Just as Zoro finished the statement, he disappeared. Many underestimated the swordsman's speed because of his size, big mistake.

"What the hell?!" The man frantically searched each direction.

"Boo," Zoro's gravelly voice sounded from behind, but before the man could turn and react, the sharpness of Zoro's blade bit into his back and sent him falling forward. The crimson color of blood quickly began to stain his clothing and puddle in the dirt. It would appear that the rumors about the former pirate hunter were true.

"Hey, mister!"

Nami's melodic voice cut through the man's focus as he slowly picked himself up from the ground.

"I think you should probably pay attention!"

She called out sweetly and the man growled in response, once again taking his eyes off of Zoro so that he could throw two of his boomerangs in her direction in anger.

The sound of metal hitting metal electrified the air when Zoro easily blocked the attack, kicking the fallen weapons into the river. All he had to do was wait until the idiot ran out of blades and then he would make his move. Zoro wasn't normally very patient but he knew that leaving Nami unprotected when the guy was still armed was not the best idea.

"It's sad," the man remarked when their swords met again.

Zoro ignored the statement. It was probably just a ploy to get inside of his head. The man was gripping his own blades with no more than a pair of fingerless gloves to keep the skin of his hands from getting sliced to pieces. The boomerang like weapons were sharp, but apparently the gloves were made of something stronger. Zoro was fighting casually but he was surprised by the amount of force the man would occasionally put behind his blows. He was holding back and the swordsman wanted to know why.

"She's got the body and the face to haunt a man's fantasies but that damn loud mouth."

Nami heard the statement but only rolled her eyes in response. Was he trying to distract her or Zoro? She really couldn't see how verbally insulting her would get a rise out of the first mate. He was always so aloof.

"I can think of better things she could be doing with those lips."

It was surprising, the boiling fury that struck Zoro in that moment. He wasn't the first person to insult the navigator but for some reason recently the verbal abuse and disrespect had started to really bother the swordsman. He hesitated for only a split second because of the remark but it was just enough for the purple haired man to get in a decent blow. Steel sliced flesh and the scent of blood hung heavy in the air and stained the dirt at his feet but Zoro ignored the stab of pain and Nami's gasp of shock in favor of lunging at his opponent and slicing him across the chest with one well-placed strike before landing gracefully behind him in a crouched position.

A sick gurgling sound came from the man's throat as he collapsed to his knees before plummeting into the dirt in defeat, unmoving.

"Damn…"

Zoro slowly stood up straight, one hand pressed against his side as he flicked the blood off of his sword before returning it to its sheath.

"Zoro!"

Nami had moved from her seated position to run over and inspect her comrade. The area where his hand clutched the side of his torn shirt was already soaked in blood, the liquid flowing over his fingers and dribbling to the ground. It was the same area where the river rock had injured him only now the laceration was significantly wider and more dangerous.

"I'm fine."

For some reason he felt the need to reassure her, but Nami wasn't buying it.

"We need to stop the bleeding."

Her face had paled but she dutifully removed his hand and replaced it with both of hers anyway, applying constantly pressure to the wound. Zoro only stood there and watched her as she stared at his side in frustration when the bleeding wouldn't stop. When she took her hands away they were covered in his blood and shaking slightly as she desperately searched for something to speed the process. The swordsman remained silent, intrigued by this side of the navigator. She actually seemed worried about him.

"Nami."

She didn't seem to hear him as she limped over to the unconscious man a few feet away and began ripping at his long sleeve shirt. She didn't even seem to care that he could wake up any moment and kill her with ease.

"Nami…."

Zoro frowned as she ripped up the man's shirt before standing again. The guy looked pretty ridiculous with his stomach exposed like that. Biting her lower lip in concentration, Nami came back to him and began winding the black fabric around his middle until she thought it tight enough. Her small bloody hands returned to his now wrapped wound and put pressure there again. She seemed calm on the outside but Zoro knew her well enough to know that she was panicking in her own way.

"Nami!"

Finally, she looked up at him with eyes so wide he would have laughed if she didn't look so frightened.

"I'm fine."

He promised with more gentleness than he knew he could possess.

"The bleeding has already stopped."

Glancing down she realized that he was right, and the color slowly began to return to her face. The racing of her heart slowly began to return to normal and Nami swallowed. For a second she had thought that he might bleed out. She had seen the swordsman on the brink of death before but losing him had never really seemed like a possibility when Luffy and the others were there to back him up. The thought of losing him had never seemed so real and it had terrified her. The cold feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach slowly began to thaw and the shaking of her hands subsided as Zoro took them into his own larger ones. It wasn't like Zoro to be so gentle and reassuring, but there he was cleaning the blood from her hands with the underside of his shirt as if their survival depended on it. She hated the sight of his blood and that was exactly why he was doing it.

"Pay attention next time," she shot half-heartedly when he finished scrubbing her hands and released her. The slightest hint of a blush dusted her cheeks but she quickly stamped down on the reaction.

"Luffy would kill me if I came back without you."

Nami quickly recovered. She couldn't tell him that she needed him. She was nearly useless in a physical fight and Zoro had sort of become her unofficial shield in those situations. She couldn't tell him that she was afraid to lose him, that the very idea left her feeling hollow. And she definitely couldn't tell him that she liked having him around.

"You aren't getting out of your debt that easily."

She shoved his arm for good measure and flashed him a brilliant smile and had to stamp down another involuntary reaction when he smiled right back at her as if he could see behind her excuse.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart," he responded sarcastically with a roll of his eyes but his smile was full of reassurance and warmth. He wasn't going anywhere.

"How sweet."

The man roared with laughter from the ground before lifting his head to look at the couple. Zoro sprang into action immediately, shoving Nami behind him and drawing two of his swords.

"I'm impressed, Roronoa Zoro. The rumors were all true."

He stated casually as he got to his feet, spitting blood off to the side and rolling his neck with a sickening pop. The guy shouldn't still be standing after a blow like that. The wound on his torso was still dripping but he didn't even seem to notice. Reaching behind his back, the man pulled out two large versions of his smaller blades and attached them to his arms so that they hugged him at his wrist, elbow, and upper arm, making both appendages dangerous weapons.

"I appreciate the warm up."

Zoro's eyes narrowed at the comment as he untied his bandana from his bicep and smiled wolfishly as he tied it around his head.

"But I think it's time we took this seriously," the purple haired man grinned.

"It's about time," Zoro smirked before opening his mouth to grip Wado between his teeth. Nami quietly scooted away from the battle to hide behind the rock she had previously been sitting on. The man had been holding back to test the swordsman the entire time, and she had a feeling things were about to get messy.

"Ladies first," Zoro mumbled around the hilt of his sword with a challenge in his eyes.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," The man's expression hardened before he suddenly took off in Nami's direction with surprising speed.

"Nami!"

Nami's high pitched scream echoed in the forest just as the boulder she was hiding behind shattered to pieces and everything grew silent.

**[][][][][][][][]**

**A/N:** On a random note, since my page breaks aren't showing up, the O's that I use to represent a time-skip or change of scene make me laugh because I always read it like an audience reacting to the last scene. "Oooooo!"

Anyway! Sorry this chapter took a while to update, guys. I was kind of struggling with this chapter because I had this amazing plan for the end but then I just kept writing and writing and I realized that if I wanted to include that ending it would have been over 10,000 words, so I decided to break it up and continue in the next chapter. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far and I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for reading! The reviews have been such amazing encouragement. I still find it a little strange that so many people seem to like the crazy ideas that my mind conjures up but the positive feedback and constructive criticism are wonderful!

Although I would love to respond to all of you individually, I work a full time job and that takes more time than expected, so thank you for the reviews! All of you! Even those of you who only read and don't review (trust me I do that a lot .) thanks for reading! You are all the best.

Have an idea for this story that you can't stop thinking about? Feel free to PM me about it. I'm always open to new ideas as long as they don't drastically change the way I intend to end this little ficlet I'm all ears! I will try to update a little faster next time, I'm super excited for Chapters 4 and 5! There will be action and some more sweet moments (and realizations) between our favorite pair. Thanks again for reading! And as always special thanks to my amazing friend and beta reader, **Oceanwind**. You are an amazing author, beta, and friend.


	4. Questions Unanswered

**Seven Days**

_Chapter 4: Questions Unanswered_

His entire world came to a stop the moment purple-hair's blade sliced effortlessly through her flesh. Once again he had failed to protect someone he cared for. This was his fault and Zoro stood in disbelief while his opponent howled in triumph… Nami was gone. The realization cut him so deeply that for a moment he forgot to breathe.

"He's kind of stupid."

A voice so like Nami's announced with amusement from behind him. Zoro couldn't answer. His throat felt tight and his hands gripped his swords firm enough that his knuckles went white. He had failed to realize just how much the woman meant to him, how much her death would actually rip him up.

"Zoro?"

It struck him then that someone was standing beside him and touching his shoulder in concern. When he turned he was met with a pair of confused but beautiful brown eyes and vibrant orange hair. The citrus scent that was purely Nami invaded his senses and Zoro blinked once, twice, completely confused. With a clearer mind he looked back at where he had seen her killed just seconds ago only to see a blurry reflection that resembled Nami begin to evaporate. He vaguely recalled her mentioning the fact that she could create a mirage of herself as an escape tactic. Mirage Tempo, she had called it after discovering the technique in Alabasta. Normally it only worked in dry heat but in this case the river had acted as a reflective lens and bounced her image back into the mist surrounding the bank.

Relief slammed into him like a train and Zoro released the breath he had been holding, loosening his numbing grip on his swords and flexing his fingers to restore the circulation. The urge to hug her was almost overwhelming; the reaction only outweighed by the potent need to kiss her, to reassure him that she was really okay. At least that was what he told himself. Instead he stamped down on the tugging at his heart and finally offered her an easy grin as if he had been in on her little charade all along.

"Nice move," he offered, hoping he sounded bored.

While it wasn't his style, he could commend her on hers. Purple hair was still hollering with laughter, completely oblivious to the fact that he hadn't really killed his target, even though her 'corpse' was rapidly disappearing.

"Oi, Dumbass," Zoro drawled and slung an arm casually over Nami's shoulders for emphasis.

"You missed."

Purple Hair's laughter almost immediately stopped when he noticed that the damn woman was still alive. The Straw Hats were clever, even the weaker members. He should have guessed from the size of their bounty. It was interesting to learn that the first mate could be so powerful even without devil fruit abilities, and the orange haired woman was pretty crafty herself. They made quite the team.

"You can't protect her forever, Zoro," Purple Hair flashed them a sadistic grin. It would appear that the witch and her crew were set on killing Nami, but why?

With an arm still around her shoulders, Zoro loosely crossed the tips of the two swords he held, forming an X in front of the navigator.

"Are you willing to bet on that?"

Zoro's tone was level and serious while his eyes burned with fire. The swordsman had every intention of protecting Nami for as long as he possibly could. No purple haired, boomerang wielding, sunglass wearing freak was going to tell him otherwise.

Nami could only stand there between the solid wall of Zoro's torso and the dangerously sharp obstacle of his swords. He had caged her in but he kept his grip loose enough that if the man took him up on his challenge she could easily slip underneath his arm and shield herself behind him. The part that confused her was how protective he suddenly seemed. She had noticed the possessive way he said her name in a fight before, or how he tensed in irritation when an insult directed at her was given. It was a tension she wouldn't have noticed had they not been travelling together for so long. The insults bothered him and the need to protect her bordered on the obsessive. It was sweet, but oh so confusing. The navigator wasn't really sure what to think. She was probably just imagining things and reading into them more than she should have.

"The fact that she's both your greatest desire as well as your fear is a dangerous combination, a weakness. I could take care of such an obstacle for you in a matter of seconds."

The man was bargaining now, cowardly bastard. Unfortunately for Purple Hair, he had forgotten one important detail. Nami may have been a weakness for Zoro, but she was also one of his greatest strengths, a powerful motivating factor… Besides the debt and the physical threats that is. Later when he reflected he would pretend that it was because she was so important to the crew, that the need to protect her was his way of protecting the entire group. But in the end excuses were still excuses.

"Says the puppet of the witch," Zoro snorted and watched with interest when his opponent visibly tensed.

"What's the matter can't pick your own battles?" Zoro taunted and the man glared daggers in response.

"Admit it, the bitch has you whipped."

The swordsman grinned with satisfaction when the man clenched his teeth in an attempt to stay his anger.

"Sounds like a pretty big weakness to me," Nami piped up in her matter-of-fact tone, crossing her arms over her chest and simultaneously leaning back against Zoro casually. Getting under purple hair's skin was almost too easy when they worked as a team.

"You little-"

Purple hair finally snapped and charged them. It had worked. This time Zoro would bring him down for good in his distraction. He didn't like the fact that Nami seemed to be the intended target. It made him nervous. He was the stronger of the two of them so why were they focused on her? Surprisingly he didn't even have to warn the navigator. She easily ducked beneath his arm as if reading his mind when he moved to meet the man head on.

Purple Hair was grinning when Zoro raised his swords to strike. The sharp bite of several boomerangs sent him flying backwards several feet. Either the guy had gotten faster or he had been really holding back in their previous fight. He hadn't even seen the weapons coming. The swordsman growled and tried to move only to find his arms and legs pinned firmly to the tree behind him. Two boomerang blades penetrated both of his forearms clean through and anchored themselves into the wood. His legs hadn't been punctured but they were firmly rooted to the tree with two larger boomerangs caging them there.

"You cowardly bastard…" Zoro spat.

Laughing darkly, his purple haired opponent passed him with ease and patted the swordsman's shoulder just to piss him off.

"Watch this," he cackled.

His tone sent a shiver of cold dread down Zoro's spine and he could only watch as the man made his way over to Nami.

"Nami, run!" Zoro snapped and braced himself to rip the blades from his flesh. His heart hammered in his chest wildly as Nami took off running past him with Purple Hair on her heels. She was fast but the man was faster.

"Your escape tactics will do you no good without this!"

The man released one of his smaller boomerangs and knocked Nami's clima tact from her hands. She watched in horror as the weapon clattered to the ground several feet away just as a pair of strong arms suddenly grabbed her roughly from behind. Gripping her around the waist and the back of her hair, Purple Hair forced her to turn and face Zoro.

"You think you can always keep her from harm?"

The man jerked on her hair and Nami winced and gazed at Zoro with stubborn resolve. Her silent refusal to show fear made the swordsman feel proud to call her nakama, but it was also like a punch to the gut and Zoro swallowed thickly, still fighting desperately to free himself.

"Let me show you what happens when fools assume they can defeat the witch."

The man snarled and dragged Nami over to the river. Zoro could only watch as the man forced her to her knees at the bank and slowly forced her head down toward the water.

"No!"

Zoro screamed but to no avail. Purple Hair forced her face beneath the water and the swordsman could only watch in agony while she struggled to fight off her much stronger assailant. His heart wrenched as she tried to wriggle free and her body instinctively gasped for air, filling her lungs with water. A minute that felt like an eternity ticked by before she stopped moving and Purple Hair roughly threw her to the ground with a laugh. The man didn't seem to realize that she was merely unconscious and not dead.

"Damn you…" Zoro's voice cracked in barely restrained rage before the swordsman took a deep breath and quickly dragged his impaled arms down the length of both blades until only the bloody boomerangs remained anchored to the trunk of the tree. Quickly ridding the tree of the blades that trapped his legs as well, Zoro gathered up his swords in the blink of an eye and charged his opponent once more with renewed motivation and fury.

Purple Hair raised one bladed arm above his head as Zoro became close, swiftly bringing his elbow down to impale the swordsman in the back. Unfortunately for purple hair, Zoro was faster. The faint sound of three swords swinging in rapid succession was the only noise as Zoro landed behind his opponent gracefully, slowly returning his blades to their sheaths. For a moment the only sound in the air was the steady drip of the blood from the swordsman's arms.

"You can't…" Purple Hair rasped weakly, "protect her forever… Roronoa Zoro."

The statement was more unsettling this time than it had been before. Perhaps it was because the words were uttered just before blood gushed out of every inch of the man's body and he crumpled to the ground in a pool of the liquid, or because the man had just drowned Nami. He bled out in a matter of seconds and Zoro kicked him hard in the side once he stopped breathing just to be sure he was really dead. Whatever the reason, Zoro resolved himself to prove the man wrong.

Rushing over to Nami, Zoro fell to his knees at her side and frowned. Her face was drained of color and she didn't seem to be breathing.

"Nami!"

He shook her gently then roughly when she wouldn't respond. He would have given anything to be back on the Going Merry in that moment, if only to utilize Chopper's unparalleled skills as a doctor to save her life. Zoro didn't know much but he knew enough to hopefully bring her back. Without even thinking he leaned over her and pressed both hands against her chest and pumped before covering her mouth with his own, forcing air into her lungs. His heart pounded wildly while he repeated the process and silently willed her to wake up and be okay.

"Breathe dammit!" Zoro growled against her lips as he continued furiously pumping on her chest in rhythm.

The woman beneath him stirred and coughed up water and Zoro would have yelled at her for terrifying him had he not been so happy to see her alive. He pulled back for a moment to watch as the color came back into her face and she opened her eyes to look up at him. The swordsman could only offer her a grin before smashing his lips against hers once more in relief without thought.

At first she had thought that she was dreaming, at least until she moved to encircle her arms around his neck and buried her hand in his short spiky hair. He felt too real to be a dream. And the way he suddenly claimed her mouth in a relieved but mind numbing kiss couldn't be her imagination. Without really thinking it through, Nami surrendered herself to the swordsman and his talented lips, awe struck and tingling from the electricity that sparked between them. She had thought of kissing him before but had never imagined how powerful and exhilarating it would feel.

The moment he had felt her stir Zoro had told himself to remove his hands and lips but for some reason he hadn't listened. His entire body quaked with relief when he felt her chest move beneath his hands and before he had known what he was doing, he was kissing her. He had been just so happy to see her alive that for a moment he had forgotten that they were just supposed to be nakama.

He wasn't supposed to kiss her like he had wanted to do it for quite some time, and he definitely wasn't supposed to lower his upper body on top of her and wrap his arms around her slender form when her own hands found their way into his hair. But if he wasn't supposed to do such a thing she certainly wasn't supposed to respond so eagerly to his kiss, or groan in the back of her throat in pleasure.

A whimper of satisfaction left her lips before Nami could stop it, and her body arched up into him against her will. The metallic scent of steel overwhelmed her and only intensified the kiss. She had never thought that steel would be an appealing smell but on Zoro it most definitely was. He was all male and his hovering form above hers served to make her feel both safe and excitingly vulnerable.

It was almost as if she couldn't get close enough to the swordsman. Her body hummed and silently begged him to deepen the kiss. Feeding off of her reactions, Zoro instinctively obliged. Her mouth parted with ease when he coaxed with a swipe of his tongue to her lips and nibbled the soft bottom flesh before delving to taste her. He smiled against her lips when the distinct taste of mikans invaded his mouth. They had been away from the Going Merry for two days already and still she maintained the scent and taste of the fruit she loved so much.

She was a little drop of home and Zoro drank greedily, pulling her snug against him with a hand at her lower back but she was already as close as she was going to get unfortunately. The need for air only dawned on him when his lungs began to burn and reluctantly Zoro broke the kiss in favor of panting and staring down at her flushed face and hazy eyes. Nami blushed deeply when she came back to her senses and gazed up at him owlishly.

Stamping down on the slightest hint of a blush himself, Zoro blinked at her kiss swollen lips and realized just how stupid he had been. Reviving her had been his job, not kissing her senseless.

"Um…" Zoro murmured awkwardly and pressed most of his weight onto his injured forearms until their bodies were no longer touching.

The racing of Naim's heart nearly drowned out his voice and she tried to keep her cheeks from flushing again. She wasn't supposed to feel anything in his touch or kiss. They were nakama, friends. It should have felt like locking lips with her protective brother and instead her mouth and heart still burned with the intense flame that sparked to life between them. She wasn't supposed to feel this way about the swordsman. Falling for him meant accepting the fact that he would risk his life in every fight. It meant being vulnerable and opening up a part of herself that had been closed off for many years.

The navigator wasn't sure if she was ready to open up completely at the risk of getting hurt, even though she trusted Zoro. She wasn't sure if she was ready to change the depth of their relationship, despite the fact that she knew deep down that it had been evolving into something more long before the kiss, so Nami did what she did best.

"That's gonna cost you," she smirked and her eyes danced with mischief.

The comment succeeded in breaking both the sexual and awkward tension between them. She would hide behind her gold and playful banter to avoid discussing how she really felt. Money was safe… Nami was banking on it.

"I saved your life!" Zoro growled and quickly got to his feet.

For a moment he had thought of actually kissing her again, of diving head first into the door they had just opened, at least until she had opened her big mouth.

"You have an interesting method of revival," she teased with a coy smile after standing and looked at him pointedly.

"You kissed me, woman," Zoro hissed.

She hadn't initiated the kiss but she had returned it and that was as good as starting it in Zoro's mind.

"You call that a kiss?" Nami scoffed in false composure and her eyes sparkled with forced amusement. She didn't want him to know that he was the only man to rattle her so thoroughly with the intimate gesture. She had kissed men before but never had they burned her from the inside out with one touch.

"Not convinced?"

Zoro rasped huskily before taking a step forward into her personal space. Obviously the swordsman took her aloof statement as a challenge and when he was close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from his powerful form, Nami blushed. Her heart flipped with excitement when he slowly caged her in like prey and closed the gap between them. She told herself not to kiss him again, but a large part of her silently begged him to do it for her.

With his mouth only a breath away from Nami's, Zoro lifted his gaze to meet her own and smirked. Her breath had quickened in pace, her pupils slightly dilated. She looked about ready to melt if he touched her again.

"Too bad," he grinned before pulling away and watched with satisfaction when she glared. He had to wonder if she was miffed because he had kissed her in the first place or because he didn't repeat the action. If he didn't know any better he would have sworn he saw disappointment in her eyes. Whatever the reason it was always fun to see the woman flustered.

"Brute," Nami grumbled but moved to climb onto his back when he kneeled.

"Witch," he shot back and a smile tugged at her lips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

The battle had eaten up a large majority of the remaining day but they somehow managed to make up for the lost ground before the sun dipped down beneath the tree line. With the last rays of light Zoro built another fire once they stopped to make camp after retrieving dinner in the form of some type of island bird that the swordsman quickly cleaned and cooked. They didn't speak of the kiss again and the rest of the evening was spent in companionable silence. After tending to their wounds, Zoro settled in to sleep by the fire and once more held out an arm in open invitation to his comrade.

This time he was obviously awake when offering up the warmth he could provide in sleep, but Nami didn't feel awkward about accepting. She trusted Zoro and found that she slept better in his embrace anyway. The swordsman made her feel safe and comfortable. Wordlessly, Nami lowered herself to the ground beside him before curling up into his uninjured side and using his chest as a pillow. She was asleep only seconds after he wrapped his arms around her. It had been a long day and sleep found both of their exhausted bodies quickly.

**[][][][][][]**

"If I have to sleep next to you, you're going to bathe."

The sun had been up for well over an hour and the two had been walking for nearly three. Well Zoro was walking; Nami was on his back barking orders into his ear. But to the navigator's credit, she was good at it.

"We're in the middle of nowhere and you're worried about taking a bath," Zoro snorted and rolled his eyes.

"When I'm forced to sleep next to a smelly swordsman every night, you better believe it," she shot back.

"Hey, witch, you don't have to sleep next to me. I stay warm just fine on my own."

It was true and they both knew it. Nami was only sleeping in his arms because Zoro had been kind enough to offer them to her, but she wasn't to be deterred.

"Don't forget you owe me," She purred in that sickeningly sweet voice that spelled trouble for Zoro, "or are you forgetting about the fact that you took advantage of me while I was unconscious yesterday?"

The woman had some nerve. She had practically begged him to keep going! Grumbling under his breath, Zoro relented. Nami was the only opponent aside from Luffy that the swordsman ever seemed to break for, though he had no idea why he allowed the woman to get away with manipulating him.

"If I take a bath will you shut up?"

It probably wasn't the nicest way of agreeing but Zoro didn't really care. His wounds were starting to itch anyway; a bath was probably a good idea.

"About the bath, yes," Nami smirked triumphantly and silently applauded herself for winning a round.

There was no way she would promise to shut up for the duration of their ordeal. Defeated, Zoro immediately ceased walking and instead dropped Nami back onto her feet and began tugging off his clothing. Brown eyes roved over the well defined muscles of the swordsman's back when he removed his shirt but she came back to her senses when he started removing his pants.

"W-what are you doing?" Nami blushed despite trying to stuff the reaction out of view.

Raising an eyebrow in her direction, Zoro shrugged out of dark trousers and began to remove the fabric that covered the various wounds he had sustained over the course of the last few days. He left his moss-green boxers in place and kicked out of his boots.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

To her it looked like he was trying to seduce her, and it was working. The navigator couldn't help staring. She had seen him shirtless before of course, but his state of undress felt more intimate with the lingering memory of his kiss hanging between them. When she finally found the strength to tear her eyes away from his abdomen and back up to his eyes, she frowned at his knowing grin. His playful wink took her off guard and Nami just stood there stupidly while he climbed into the river. A small waterfall dribbled down from the rocks off to the side and Zoro used it to wet his hair before once more regarding Nami.

"Are you coming in?"

It wasn't exactly fair of her to make him bathe if she wasn't going to do the same. The question sounded more like challenge and the navigator's form went rigid. Her mind chose that moment to remind her that her comrade was even more attractive wet_, wonderful_ .Shaking off her hesitation; Nami reminded herself that this was Zoro and casually shrugged out of her sandals and jeans. The crew saw her in skimpy outfits and bikini's all the time. This wasn't much different, if you didn't count the fact that it was her underwear and she was going to be bathing alone with the one man who had haunted her thoughts and dreams on more than one occasion.

It was Zoro's turn to stare when Nami tugged off what was left of her black t-shirt to reveal the simple black cotton bra and panty set. It wasn't anything spectacular but she was. Her taut stomach and curvy figure were familiar but in this setting she seemed even more alluring than she had in Alabasta when she had flashed the male members of the crew. It was the ugly bruise marring her perfect mid-drift that stopped him. His eyes drifted to the matching mark at the base of her neck where Purple Hair had forcibly held and drowned her. A splash of water in his face broke him from his thoughts and Zoro glared at the source. Nami had climbed into the river when he wasn't paying attention and her eyes widened when he suddenly smirked in challenge. As if sensing that she had just called for war, the orange haired woman quickly swam in the opposite direction but she should have known better than to think she could out run him.

A squeak of surprise left her lips involuntarily when a strong arm enclosed around her waist from behind and her face was suddenly met with a splash of cold water. Somehow she squirmed out of his embrace and turned in the water, flashing him a sweet smile before pressing herself close against him. For a split second the swordsman's eyes widened as she leaned in close as if to kiss him, and when he thought that their little water adventure might heat up, soft hands gripped his shoulders and dunked him under the surface.

Nami laughed as green hair disappeared beneath the water, but her laughter quickly turned into a shriek when her victim hauled her up onto his shoulder and shoved himself upwards while simultaneously letting her go, dunking her under in the process. Nami resurfaced a second later coughing and struggling in fear. Memories of being drowned invaded her mind and for a moment it felt like it was happening all over again. Her lungs refused to work and she choked on the bile that burned her throat in a silent scream.

Everything stilled when she found herself hauled up against a warm solid chest and Nami clung to him desperately. Comforting arms enclosed firmly around her slender form and remained there as she slowly forced her racing heart to calm and squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught of horrifying images. The navigator shook like a leaf against him and Zoro frowned. He should have known better than to shove her under the water when she had just been nearly killed by it the day before. Pressing his cheek to the top of her hair in a rare gesture of kindness, Zoro simply waited for her to ride out the panic attack and tried his best to ignore the fact that she was half naked. He was still a man after all.

"You stink," her quiet words were muffled against him but Zoro could feel her smile into his skin.

"Well we can't all smell like oranges," he mumbled sarcastically and grinned when he felt her stiffen and shove herself away from him.

"They're mikans, moron; tangerines, there's a difference," she corrected before splashing water into his face again.

Zoro splashed her right back but made sure not to submerge her this time. Eventually he got her laughing enough to take her mind off of her near death experience and once Nami was satisfied with his hygiene, they returned to the bank to dry.

The quick dip in the river seemed to lighten the mood between them and Nami toyed with his hair while on his back as they started moving again.

"Green is a pretty strange color for hair," she pointed out while running long slender fingers through the short spiky locks. The actions sent shivers down his spine and Zoro had to stamp down on the desire to lean into the pleasant touch.

"And orange isn't?" Zoro smirked.

The rest of the day went by without attack and gave the Straw Hats a well deserved break. Zoro was already pretty banged up after only three days in the wild and Nami had taken quite a beating herself, but for someone who wasn't often seriously injured she seemed to be handling it pretty well. The lack of obstacles in the form of mindless witch minions allowed for them to make up quite a bit of ground and make camp with at least an hour of light left to spare.

Nibbling at a hunk of fish that Zoro had caught for their dinner, Nami watched the sun as it began to set in the west and lit up the sky with various pastel hues. Zoro was thoughtfully wiping away the blood on Wado's blade with a damp piece of his shirt and a comfortable silence ensued between them. They seemed to have a lot of that lately, comfortable silence. There were no high expectations or judgments between the navigator and swordsman and everything just came easily. Their conversations, though often argumentative, were fun and effortless. Nami could be herself with the entire crew, they were friends, but with Zoro it always felt a little different. With Zoro she almost felt like discussing Bellemere.

Nojiko had informed everyone about her past but Nami had never openly discussed it herself. No one had ever asked and she had never felt the need to bring it up. Now, though, as she watched the swordsman obsessively and almost tenderly polish the blade of only one sword, she began to wonder if he might have a story of his own to tell.

"What made you become a pirate hunter?"

She had never asked questions about his past before and Zoro briefly paused in his efforts to clean Wado, glancing up at her in curiosity.

"I never called myself a pirate hunter," he answered vaguely but with a hint of distain, "A man's got to eat. I just picked up the occasional bounty on the way for cash, no big deal." His response only left her with more questions than answers. Nami frowned.

"What made you want to become the world's greatest swordsman?" She pressed.

"Why do you care?" he shot back not missing a beat. Now he was curious, though his eyes remained trained on his task.

The need to discuss her mother had become a throbbing ache in her heart for several months now. How long had it been since she had uttered the woman's name or boasted about her skills as a mikan grower? Too long, but Nami didn't want to bring it up unless her companion opened himself up a little bit too.

"Forget it…" Nami sighed when she realized that Zoro wouldn't bite unless she specifically told him why she wanted to know.

Truth told, it bothered her not to know about his past and how he had become involved with their Captain. It bothered her because it felt like she was missing out on a vital piece of the man she was rapidly developing feelings for. She would deny it, of course. It was no more than a crush, a case of hero syndrome conjured up in an attempt to keep her occupied during their predicament. Dejected, she curled up on her side facing the fire with her back to Zoro. The swordsman had paused in his activity to watch the woman in confusion as she closed her eyes and attempted to sleep without him. They both knew it wouldn't work, but her pride wouldn't allow her to show him otherwise.

As if sensing this, Zoro returned Wado to her sheath and set the sword beside his other two before wordlessly sliding in behind Nami. The navigator pretended to be asleep and didn't move even when Zoro wrapped an arm snug around her middle and tugged her close against his chest. Once she was close enough to share body heat, he pillowed one arm underneath her head and wrapped the other across her arms that were tucked against her chest, instantly warming her chilled skin. She still pretended to sleep and Zoro didn't say anything but his actions said more than words ever could. He would answer her questions eventually when he was ready to discuss the past. Until then, he wasn't going anywhere. The sound of snoring quickly assaulted her ears and Nami almost laughed, curling into him with a sigh of contentment before finally allowing herself to sleep as well.

**[][][][][][]**

**A/N:**This chapter turned out a little differently than intended. I was struggling with the idea of skipping a day and after much consideration and input from my wonderful beta **Oceanwind** I decided to stick to what I'm doing already. And while on the subject, for those of you still craving more ZoNa, you should check out **Oceanwind's** stories. She's a very talented author and I myself am addicted to several of her fics. Darkest Kiss and The Wish Box are just two of my favorites. I'm sorry if this chapter turned out a bit boring but I wanted to give these two some room to grow outside of the fact that they're being hunted. My original idea for this chapter has been pushed to chapter 5, and chapter 6 will take the place of my original idea for chapter 5. Thank you all again for reading and reviewing! You are all so wonderful and encouraging and you get me fired up to write! This story will probably have eight chapters in total for those of you wondering. It's always a pleasure, until next time!

- B.


	5. Luffy to the Rescue

**Seven Days**

_Chapter 5: Luffy to the Rescue_

"It's been four days," Sanji wailed louder than was necessary.

"My poor Nami-Swan is probably frightened and waiting for her prince to save her!"

It was obvious that the cook was referring to himself and most of the crew rolled their eyes in response. Despite his dramatic display, he did have a point. Nami and Zoro had been missing for four days now and they should have been back already. The crew had remained in the village in case the pair returned, and even though they all knew that the two would look out for each other, they still worried.

The Straw Hats were a tight knit family and when one of them was missing everything just felt off balance. Even Sanji, who would deny it should anyone ask, worried about the swordsman right along with the navigator.

"Do you think they're hurt?" Chopper's voice waivered at the very thought of their friends injured and defenseless.

"Maybe they're lost," Usopp offered to ease the little reindeer's fears.

"Nami-Swan would never get lost," Sanji growled in an attempt to defend but he only succeeded in worrying Chopper more.

"Captain-san?" Robin murmured beneath the raised voices of the rest of the group. She and Luffy were the only two not involved in the conversation. Robin had finished with the island guide and moved on to bury her nose in a book of the island's history. Luffy had been uncharacteristically silent for the last few minutes. He sat cross-legged with his hands in his lap, motionless. The brim of his hat had been tipped forward just enough to shadow his eyes from view, but the frown on his lips was unmistakable.

Their Captain had been so adamant about having faith in their friends, but he also knew that everyone needed help sometimes. Nami and Zoro could be injured, and if the witch had followers, they would be outnumbered too. He trusted Zoro's abilities as well as Nami's with his life, but even the future Pirate King would be nearly useless without his friends. They all depended on each other to complete whatever was lacking in themselves, and something was clearly wrong if they still hadn't returned.

The bickering between Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper immediately ceased when Luffy suddenly stood, one hand resting on the top of his hat as if to hold it there and the other clenched into a fist at his side.

"Old guy," Luffy rumbled in his rarely used serious voice before lifting his gaze to meet Kouta's. The mayor sat in wait with the rest of the crew over the last few days. He felt slightly responsible for their missing friends as the former leader of the island and wanted to help in any way that he could.

"Show me where the witch lives."

His tone left no room for argument, but Kouta still hesitated if only for a moment. The last time he had ventured into the former capital city where the witch had made her home, he had nearly lost his life. Shrugging out of his blue suit jacket, the man rolled the sleeves of his crisp white dress shirt up to his elbows. It was a rough walk to the city of Translucent Falls and he wouldn't need the heavy material weighing him down and making him sweat.

"Follow me," Kouta offered and headed for the Northern exit, the same one that Nami and Zoro had vanished through days before.

"What's the plan, Luffy?" Sanji straightened and chewed at the unlit cigarette between his lips.

"We're going to go get Zoro and Nami," Luffy responded innocently as if it was obvious.

"That's not a plan, idiot!" Sanji snarled but followed their laughing Captain toward the exit anyway.

"Shishishishishi!"

**[][][][][][]**

"What kind of moron further impales himself onto a blade and makes his own wounds worse?" Nami scolded as she cleaned Zoro's injured arms.

She knew as well as he did that there hadn't been any other choice but she didn't want to acknowledge the fact that he had done it to save her life. It reminded her of the battle against Arlong, when she had treated the swordsman badly in order to prove that she was loyal to the fishmen. The idiot had insisted that his bandaged torso was just a minor wound and had allowed her to kick him right in the chest where Mihawk had struck him. Then the stubborn oaf had stuck around despite her repeated orders for him to leave. He had believed in her from the very beginning and accepted her with open arms when it was over and Nami had a sneaking suspicion that he had stayed not only to bring her back to the crew but also to protect her should the need arise

"It made sense at the time," Zoro responded nonchalantly and Nami rolled her eyes.

Oh right, she was talking to the man who would cut off his own feet in order to save himself and his friends. Zoro and the rest of the crew were the only people since Bellemere to work so hard to protect her, and Nami wasn't oblivious to the fact that the swordsman did so the most.

"Idiot," Nami's genuine smile was a stark contrast to the insult.

It was mid-afternoon and so far they had covered quite a bit of ground before Nami had insisted they rest and re-treat their injuries. The swordsman was steadily growing warmer every day and the possibility of infection was rapidly becoming a reality. With no doctor around infection was even more dangerous than the wounds themselves, but Nami did her best with what she had to keep their injuries clean and covered. Zoro sat still with his hands in her lap, palms up while she tended to the punctures just above each of his wrists. Her soft fingers brushed against his skin as she rewrapped his arms with freshly rinsed cloth and he took the opportunity to study the navigator.

Her short orange hair was slightly tousled from sleeping on the ground and her clothing had definitely seen better days. It was strangely appealing, to see her out of the norm. When they were with the crew she was always yelling or charging him, but out here without jealous swooning cooks and silly unpredictable Captains, he got a taste of the real Nami. This was the Nami who laughed in genuine amusement at things he said even in a bad situation; the Nami who smiled at him without hesitation and allowed herself to be vulnerable. Zoro had seen this side of the spunky woman before, but it was the first time he had been the object of her sweet behavior.

"Why are you being so nice?"

He said it as if he secretly suspected her of silently charging him for every bandage change, but he had to know. Luffy had been the only person to make the navigator smile so openly before, so what made now any different?

Even though the question was surprising, Nami had expected him to ask it sooner or later. It was true that she had only allowed herself to be vulnerable with their Captain before, but only because the childish rubber man was someone she had considered a friend from the beginning. Luffy had an easy and trustworthy air about him that made every individual crew member feel significant. With Zoro the process had taken longer. The swordsman kept his distance and made it difficult to recognize the good man he really was underneath.

In many ways, he reminded Nami of their Captain, at least if their Captain practiced more restraint and acted more like an adult. He was quick to defend someone unable to defend themselves, fought with everything that he was, and loved each of his friends even if he didn't say it out loud. Where Luffy had trusted Nami with his straw hat on several occasions, Zoro had trusted her with his swords more than once. The swordsman was more subtle about his affections but that didn't make them any less real, or any less frightening for Nami to face when she was struggling with feelings of her own.

She had been silent for several minutes, simply staring down at the hands that rested face up in her lap. Zoro was staring at her and waiting for an answer. With a sigh, Nami blew a wisp of hair from her face and did her best to seem composed.

"Well…" she hesitated, purposely avoiding his gaze by focusing on the steady rhythm of wrapping his arms.

"I guess it's because you're not as bad as I thought."

Nami grumbled in one breath as if to force the words out and get it over with, still refusing to look up at her companion.

"What was that?" Zoro smirked.

He had heard her but had always enjoyed getting a rise out of the woman. She was feisty, cocky and confident when provoked and the swordsman had always secretly found it alluring, but he would never tell her that of course.

"I said you're not a total moron after all," Nami snapped and roughly tied the last of the fabric into place in irritation.

She expected him to smirk in that stupid know-it-all way he always did, or to sling an insult in her direction. Laughter was the last thing the navigator expected, and so her head snapped up immediately and her eyes widened in surprise before she narrowed them. He was laughing at her! Their severely injured, sleep addicted, stubborn, infuriating and frustratingly complex swordsman was laughing so hard it shook his entire form, and although she felt that she should be insulted, his infectious delight forced her lips to curl upward into a slight smile.

It had been quite some time since she had heard the man laugh with genuine amusement. In the beginning of their travels he had been more carefree, like Luffy, but as the battles grew tougher and the stakes higher, his smile had all but faded away. This was a nice change, even if it was rude of him to laugh in her face without shame.

"Shut up, it's not funny," Nami scolded without much conviction, still smiling.

Zoro continued to laugh until his abdomen ached and his cheeks screamed with the effort of grinning. It wasn't the comment that had sent him over the edge, but rather Nami's mortified and angry expression. It was so difficult for her to offer him a compliment, but her efforts were amusing nonetheless. She had looked like a stubborn five year old mentally scolding herself for admitting to doing or saying something she wasn't supposed to.

"Is it really that painful to compliment me?" Zoro had stopped laughing but the amused smirk remained in place.

"As if I would compliment you," Nami scoffed and quickly stood. She just barely managed to stuff a blush from view before Zoro moved to join her.

"We should start moving again," she decided and fixed him with a calm expression as if to prove that he couldn't get under her skin. Zoro knew her well enough to see through her mask though and only continued to smile before kneeling down.

**[][][][][]**

Ten long years under the witch had reduced Translucent Falls to near ruin, but the crumbling buildings and crystal clear waterfalls spoke of a once beautiful and thriving paradise.

"It's huge!" Usopp gawked as Kouta and the crew filed into the city after a few hours of walking. The path was overgrown with shrubs and vines from disuse but the mayor knew the island like the back of his hand and had managed to lead them safely.

"Oi, I don't see a witch," Luffy announced loudly, fully expecting to find a woman with a pointy hat and warts.

"If the witch is gone that means your friends are still alive," Kouta smiled in a bittersweet manner, "she's hunting them."

It was a relief to hear that Nami and Zoro were alright but still disheartening to think of them being hunted like game.

"You said the witch seems to target strong men so we can assume she's after the marimo," Sanji concluded without the usual distain for the swordsman in his tone. The bastard was still nakama and the cook was worried.

"That has been my experience," Kouta concurred.

"I wouldn't be so sure…"

Robin called from a building off to the right and the group quickly moved to investigate the archaeologist's finding. The building itself was hollow and filled with mounds of treasure from wall to wall.

"It's still here…" Kouta gasped.

All of the treasure that the witch had stolen from the island had simply been moved and apparently the woman had continued collecting from any ships that had made the unfortunate mistake of docking there. Robin was the first to move into the room.

"Some of this is from our ship," she pointed out the distinct treasures they had collected on their last few trips that had yet to be cashed in. The Going Merry had been left unguarded in favor of waiting for Zoro and Nami to return and apparently the witch had raided it while they collected supplies.

"There's only one person I know who would insist that we find a way to get this back before leaving," Robin waved the stolen treasure in her hand for emphasis.

"But that means that the witch is after…" Chopper started.

"Nami…" Usopp finished with a frown.

The navigator would have refused to leave without their treasure and if the witch had heard of the Straw Hat Pirates like Kouta had, she would have known that Nami could convince them all to retrieve it. The witch could never defeat them as a group. Her only option was to separate them and target Nami when she only had one protector. Her mistake had been assuming that the swordsman would be easily defeated like all of the other strong men she had encountered. The witch had failed to realize that the bond between the Straw Hats ran deep and that Zoro would sacrifice so much to ensure the navigator's safety.

"Luffy!" Usopp called after their Captain who was heading for the exit by swinging from branch to branch with his rubbery arms, "Where are you going!?"

"Witch hunting!" Luffy shouted back with a laugh before he disappeared into the foliage. He knew that Zoro and Nami were safe as long as they stayed together and normally the Captain wouldn't interfere with a fight, but that didn't mean that he couldn't pluck off a few of the witch's minions. Kouta frowned.

"That's the wrong way…"

The child had seen Nami and Zoro go over a cliff by the river, which could only mean that the current had dragged them down with it and Luffy was headed back toward the shore line where the Going Merry was docked. Dragging a hand over his face in exasperation, Sanji motioned for the others to follow with a curt nod. They couldn't go looking for their missing crew members when their Captain was loose in the wilderness without supervision.

**[][][][][]**

"Three more days and we should be back at the cliff where we started," Nami announced mostly to herself.

She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. Getting back to their friends had been the goal from the beginning but spending time with Zoro without the prying eyes of others was nicer than she had thought it would be. He was the same man he had been four days prior but Nami had never paused to take notice until now.

"I bet your dumbass love cook is having a fit," Zoro mumbled with more venom than usual.

"He's not _my_ love cook," Nami corrected a little too quickly and flushed. For some reason she felt the need to make it clear that she and Sanji were just friends regardless of what the blonde thought.

"I'm more concerned about Luffy eating the villagers out of house and home," she continued and they both laughed. They walked on in silence for a few more minutes. Nami's ankle still couldn't support most of her weight but she had insisted on walking on her own for a bit. Their progress was slow but neither of them seemed to be in a rush since they had covered more than their fair share of ground the day before and the company wasn't so bad either.

"Do you think they're looking for us?" The navigator questioned and glanced at Zoro from the corner of her eye. A thin layer of sweat covered his skin and his cheeks were slightly flushed with heat. It wasn't a good sign but there was nothing more they could do to fight off the infection until they made it back to the others.

"Let's hope not. Luffy would find a way to get lost and get into trouble," Zoro snorted.

Their Captain really did have the worst sense of direction and Nami decided not to mention the fact that Zoro's wasn't much better. The swordsman did his best to ignore the searing pain that radiated from his hip all the way up to his chest and tried to appear normal for Nami's sake. He had purposely avoided allowing the navigator to change the bandages that riddled his torso and had opted to do it himself since the day before. The flesh surrounding the wound had turned an angry red and thick puss had begun to ooze from the gash. It was infected and Zoro knew it was bad but they had bigger things to worry about. The witch could be watching them and he didn't want to reveal his weakened state. Nami was less accustomed to hiding her pain and limped along at Zoro's side slowly. The persistent sensation of fire in her ankle and the sickening feel of shifting bone made it clear that the injury was worse than she and Zoro had initially thought but she continued stubbornly.

Just when the pain slowly began to decrease in intensity her ankle suddenly gave out without warning. Nami could only gasp when she fell forward only to end up in Zoro's embrace instead of on the ground. She shuddered in disgust when the distinct feel of shifting bones once more assaulted her senses.

"Alright, tough guy," Zoro teased with a smirk when she tilted her head back to look at him, "I think it's time to get off of that ankle."

There was still at least an hour of light left in the day but their disintegrating health was more important than a few extra miles walked.

"I think you're right," Nami grimaced and pressed most of her weight into him to relieve some of the pain in her leg.

"What was that?" he mocked his eyes going wide as he tilted his head slightly. He looked like a lost puppy and she fought the urge to think of it as cute. Zoro didn't do cute. Even she thought he was too masculine for that. However it was clear he was mocking her. She gritted her teeth slightly and ignored the smirk that seemed to creep up on his face.

"You heard me," Nami rolled her eyes.

"I just had to make sure I heard you correctly. Did you just admit that I'm right?" Zoro gasped dramatically and chuckled when Nami lightly smacked his chest. The comfort with which they could tease each other now was nice.

"There's a first time for everything," she murmured playfully and met his gaze with a smirk, "I mean I did get you to bathe."

As if she had just challenged him to a verbal battle, Zoro suddenly leaned forward and hovered over Nami, bringing his lips a breath away from her ear. For a moment it felt like her heart might give out from rapidly beating against her chest. The strong scent of wood smoke and metal immediately filled her nose and the cool brush of his earring against her lips was enough to cause her eyes to close and her breath to hitch just a little. She could almost hear his cocky smile when he spoke.

"I think you just wanted to see me naked," Zoro whispered boldly before abruptly pulling away and leaving her both shocked and flustered as he moved to set up camp. Nami opened her mouth to deny his accusation but her voice refused to work. It was partially true. While they had both needed a bath, some part of her had definitely enjoyed seeing the swordsman in that state of undress. He worked out shirtless all the time but there was something immensely different about it when they were alone. Opting to stay quiet, Nami moved into the makeshift camp to sit near the fire and wind down for the night as the sun began its descent in the sky.

As darkness settled over the forest and the shadows began to deepen into creepy pools of blackness, Nami eventually ended up settled between Zoro's outstretched legs facing the fire. She leaned back into his chest when the swordsman didn't protest and allowed his powerful presence to encompass her with a relieving sense of safety. They made comfortable small talk for the majority of the early evening until words no longer seemed necessary. The more time she spent with Zoro, the more they seemed to develop a deeper level of communication without the need for words. Companionable silence once more enveloped them as Nami studied the millions of stars above them to make sure that they were indeed going in the right direction and Zoro carefully inspected each of his swords. The action forced him to wrap his arms around Nami and lean over her shoulder a little but she didn't seem to mind.

A faint gunshot in the distance caused the navigator to start and Zoro instinctively tightened his hold on her. The sound wasn't anywhere nearby but Nami still went rigid because of it.

"It's probably some of the villagers hunting for food," the swordsman concluded but he really didn't believe his own words. Hunting at night when the little town had been abundant with food already seemed pretty farfetched but he didn't want to worry the navigator further.

"Yeah…" Nami mumbled unconvinced.

Setting his weapons aside, Zoro bent his knees and casually rested his arms on top of them, effectively cocooning Nami against his chest and simultaneously giving her a sense of protection once more.

"I don't like guns," she finally whispered despite the fact that they were the only two people around for miles, unless of course the witch was there.

The swordsman could guess why she hated the weapons but remained silent anyway. When Nojiko had informed the crew of Nami's past, Zoro had already decided that the navigator wasn't the person she was trying to convince them that she was. He had already believed that she was good despite her actions and had opted to nap rather than listen to her story. Of course he had been unable to sleep and had instead simply rested his eyes while absorbing every detail.

"You can talk about her," Zoro finally responded and Nami turned slightly in his embrace to look at him in surprise.

"Bellemere," he explained as if she didn't fully understand his meaning. He felt slightly sheepish for even knowing the name and he wasn't sure how he remembered it, but Nami hadn't been there to see him 'pretend' to nap, so he felt a little better for that.

Several conflicting emotions crossed her features before a small smile finally graced them. Of course Zoro had listened to Nojiko's story and even remembered her mother's name; that was just the kind of man he was. Nami just wouldn't have realized it had it not been for the last few days.

"I remember stealing from the village stores all the time, mostly books and sketching supplies," she laughed, "and whenever I would get caught Bellemere would playfully offer up her body as payment and then scold me for stealing as soon as they left."

Zoro smiled in the flicker of the firelight. The woman Nami was describing reminded him a lot of a certain navigator he was growing uncomfortably fond of.

"There were a few times that she would skip meals or only eat mikans so that Nojiko and I could have real food. She told us she was on a diet but it was because we were broke," Nami's tone grew somber, "I was always complaining because I wanted things she couldn't afford. I didn't want hand-me-down clothes and bland meals… I even told her I wished that a rich family had adopted me."

Talking about Bellemere slightly eased the ache in her heart. It felt good to tell someone about her mother, even if she wished she could go back and treat the woman better.

"She could have lived, you know," Nami sighed and rested her head back against Zoro's shoulder and Zoro simply allowed her to continue, tightening his hold on her a little to let her know that he was listening.

"The villagers tried to get Nojiko and me to escape the island so that Bellemere could pay for herself and live. We would have left even though it was hard. We would have done it to save her," her voice waivered for a moment with unshed tears that she quickly blinked away.

"She paid for us instead and told Arlong and the villagers that she could never deny that we were her children, that we were a family. Arlong shot her to make her an example for everyone else. She was strong and fun… Sometimes I wish I could go back and take back all of the cruel things that I said."

Silence ensued between them for a few minutes. Nami breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Losing Bellemere had been hard but keeping the woman alive in memory by talking about her was a nice change. Saying her name out loud somehow lifted a little bit of weight from her shoulders.

"She loved you and you loved her," Zoro finally spoke, "I think that pretty much makes up for any bad thing you ever said."

He was right. Deep down Nami knew that Bellemere had died with the knowledge that she was loved. The urge to kiss the swordsman came back full force but she ignored it in favor of simply enjoying the moment with him. Her heart sunk with the thought that things between them would go back to the way they used to be once they made it back to their friends but the only thing that had really changed between them was their understanding of each other and the fact that Zoro kept her warm at night. Feeling slightly reassured by this, Nami slowly drifted off to sleep before she could ask about the swordsman's story and after a few minutes of silent thought regarding the navigator Zoro allowed himself to sleep as well.

**[][][][][]**

"Let me see!" Nami growled and attempted to yank the cloth from Zoro's torso.

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when she had demanded that they rinse and retreat Zoro's injured side. The swordsman had insisted that he could do it himself but Nami wanted to know why he was dodging her attempts to help him. He had been slick with sweat when they had woken up just minutes ago. His skin was burning hot to the touch and Nami was worried.

"It's fine, witch!" Zoro snarled and quickly moved out of her reaching distance. He was irritable from his fever and quickly growing tired of her persistence.

"It's not fine; you're sweating and getting warmer every day!" Nami argued and reached for his torso once more. Zoro stopped her by grabbing her wrist and holding it in his hand.

"We don't have any medical supplies, what exactly do you think you can do?" he asked and fixed her with a searching gaze.

"We can keep it clean so that the infection doesn't spread," Nami pointed out and waited until Zoro's grip loosened before she tugged her wrist from his hand and removed the cloth obstructing her view. A gasp was the only noise to pass her lips before she lightly touched the surrounding skin with her fingertips and Zoro stamped down on a wince. The area was increasingly tender and even her gentle touches were painful. He could fight through the pain, though. His body was trained to ignore it and keep going.

Once the injury was flushed out with water and the cloth was rinsed and back in place the navigator straightened and suddenly punched Zoro in the shoulder.

"What the hell was that for!?" he hissed and stepped forward into her personal space as if it would intimidate her. He should have known better.

"That's for keeping the seriousness of your injury from me!" Nami snapped and glared up at him without backing down.

"It's not a big deal!" Zoro shouted in her face and caught her wrist again when she attempted to shove him away.

"It is a big deal; I don't want anything to happen to you!"

She stilled when realization showed in Zoro's expression and turned her face away when her cheeks began to heat. Calloused fingertips brushed a stray lock of orange hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear, causing Nami's heart to race, before they stroked over the line of her jaw and encouraged her to look at him. As she turned back to meet his gaze, Zoro lowered his face to hers and pressed a reassuring kiss against the corner of her mouth before he moved to boldly venture toward her lips.

"Are we interrupting something?" The sickeningly sweet and familiar voice of the witch caused the two of them to jerk apart and Zoro cursed. How could he have allowed her to sneak up on them?

This time the woman wasn't alone. One man with a ridiculous looking blue afro stood off to her right with a powerful and oversized pistol slung across his back. He was several inches shorter than Zoro and almost comically chubby, but he gave off a vibe that told the swordsman not to underestimate his skills. Dressed in a rainbow striped short-sleeve t-shirt and tight midnight blue pants, the man was anything but intimidating in appearance. The other man was significantly taller, easily towering over Zoro and so thin it looked as if he might blow away. Dressed in all black like Purple Hair had been and sporting long straight black hair much like the witch, he was Chubby's exact opposite. Two pistols were holstered on each of his hips and both men were eerily silent.

"You're not happy to see me?" The witch feigned hurt and pouted before propping her hands against her waist and effectively drawing the eye to her shapely figure. Her eyes narrowed when they landed on Nami, though.

"You're supposed to be dead," the woman snarled and Nami glared back in response.

"Sorry to disappoint," Nami scoffed sarcastically and Zoro took a step forward while simultaneously pushing her backwards to shield her and get her out of range.

"Never send a man to do a woman's job," the witch rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, bringing both men to attention immediately.

"Kill him, leave the girl alive," the woman addressed Chubby and Zoro almost laughed. Did she really think killing him would be so easy?

Removing the gigantic rifle sized pistol from behind his back, Chubby stepped forward and pressed the barrel of the gun against Zoro's forehead. It dawned on the swordsman that he suddenly couldn't move and his eyes moved to look at the witch.

"It's a shame, you could have made a nice addition to my crew," she sighed dramatically before flashing him a sadistic grin.

"Bitch," Zoro snapped and growled in frustration as he mentally willed his feet to move to no avail. The unmistakable click of the hammer being pulled made everything stand still and it seemed that even the forest hushed.

Nami could only watch as Zoro stood there unmoving and images of Bellemere suddenly flooded her mind. She could still remember the woman's smile and encouragement to grow up to be a strong woman before Arlong pulled the trigger. She couldn't lose another person that she cared for this way. Holding her Clima Tact in a white knuckle grip, Nami moved to come to Zoro's aid but his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Nami, stay there!"

Something in his voice reassured her that he had a plan, but the sound of the gun going off caused her heart to drop into her stomach and disbelief to cloud her mind. Tears stung her eyes as the shot echoed in her ears.

"Zoro!"

**[][][][][]**

**A/N:** Only three more chapters to go! I'm almost sad that it's ending but once I finish this story I'll just move on to another one so it's really not so bad. In the mean time I'm really having fun writing this. I have always enjoyed both LuNa and ZoNa but lately ZoNa is becoming my favorite. While they might not be the most obvious couple in the One Piece world, they certainly make the most sense to me, and they're fun. Thank you again to my wonderful Beta **Oceanwind** for helping to make this chapter the best that it can be, and thank you to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers! Hearing your feedback really makes my day and gets me excited to continue. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Until next time!

-B.


	6. Guns and Greed

**Seven Days**

_Chapter 6: Guns and Greed_

The heavy scent of gun powder and blood was suffocating. The salty taste of tears wet her lips before Nami even realized she was crying. An image of Bellemere smiling flashed in her mind before it was replaced by a grinning green-haired swordsman. The sting of loss knotted her stomach, clenched her heart and burned her soul. How could she return to their friends without Zoro? Nothing would ever be the same without his presence.

She had squeezed her eyes shut just before the trigger had been pulled, unwilling to see his life end that way. The pathetic sobs of someone broken invaded her ears and Nami realized that it was her own voice beneath the ragged sounds of anguish. When Bellemere had been killed she had been too young and weak to avenge the woman. She was still weaker than most of her nakama, but she couldn't bear to simply stand there without taking action for her fallen friend. Once more clutching her clima tact to her chest with steeled resolve, Nami took a breath and prepared to fight before a voice stopped her.

"Point blank and you still miss, impressive."

She never thought she would ever be so happy to hear the sarcastic tone that could only belong to Zoro. When her eyes flew open she was immediately met with a stare and a grin from the swordsman who now stood several feet to the left of Chubby; as if he was saying that she should have known he wouldn't go down so easily. Relieved beyond words, Nami smiled back through the shimmer of fresh unshed tears.

Fate definitely seemed to be turned in their favor lately. Just before Chubby had fired his gun a large storm cloud had drifted in front of the sun and released the witch's hold on Zoro. The slackened grip had allowed the swordsman's already tense body to quickly escape the line of fire with no more than a flesh wound to the shoulder. A split second more and he would have been able to break through the invisible bonds himself but his injuries would have been far worse.

"Damn," the witch cursed and shifted her gaze to the dark rain clouds overhead that didn't seem to be moving anytime soon. Nami followed her line of sight to find what the woman was looking at and furrowed her brows in confusion. If the woman really was a witch than the weather should have no effect on her powers, unless… Realization dawned on Nami and the navigator smiled. Maybe the witch needed sunlight in order to manipulate a person's movement, but such a limitation could only mean one thing.

"You're a devil fruit user," Nami concluded aloud with a smile that only grew when the raven-haired woman narrowed her eyes in response. Somehow knowing that the woman wasn't uniquely gifted made her far less intimidating.

With her weakness out in the open the witch placed a hand on her skinny subordinate's shoulder, all the while regarding Nami with unsettling animosity in her gaze.

"Kill them both, I'm done playing," she purred into the man's ear before she moved to return to the woods. Glancing over her shoulder, the woman flashed Nami a grin that rang of finality before disappearing into the trees. Zoro had moved closer to the navigator once more in an effort to protect her as both men now pointed their guns in her direction.

"The trouble with swords," Chubby began in a surprisingly high pitched voice, "is that they are unable to reach across great distances." He emphasized the point by waving the large gun in his hand with a smirk.

Unfazed, Zoro simply smiled and removed two of his swords from their sheaths with more elegance than a man his size should have been allowed to possess. He decided not to mention the fact that his swords were not ordinary swords nor was he an ordinary swordsman and that he could in fact reach across great distances with the weapons.

Silence was the only thing between the four of them for about a minute. The lack of sound and movement became an intolerable itch that grated on the swordsman's last nerve.

"She must be some woman," Zoro sneered, "to lead her crew to their deaths with such ease."

Nami remained silent, her hands resting against the swordsman's back in an effort to both give herself a sense of calm and to hopefully keep him there; to keep him alive.

"Captain Kagee is very good to us," the thin man spoke in a quiet and eerily calm baritone.

"Kagee…" Nami tested the name on her lips with a frown. It sounded so familiar.

"Majo Kagee?" She ventured cautiously and both men smiled. It made sense now… Kagee had been the infamous leader of the Witch Pirates. The woman had crushed islands almost single handedly in her quest to become the richest pirate alive but had failed on numerous occasions to best Gol D. Roger. She had never held interest in the title of Pirate Queen, only in the depths of her treasure trove and had vanished without a trace ten years ago.

It confirmed her suspicions that the woman was a devil fruit user but did little to raise her hopes. There was a reason Majo Kagee's name was well known in the grand line. She was just as fearless as Luffy and more manipulative and conniving than Crocodile.

"What is this all about?" Nami pressed, though she was anything but intimidating half hidden behind Zoro's taller form.

"Money," Chubby stated casually as if the reason had been under their noses from the beginning, "this island is a virtual gold mine. Pirates come from miles around for the water and lumber and most of them have deep pockets," his sinister grin would have made her stomach turn had his hair not been so outrageously colorful and puffy. He kind of reminded her of a fat Buggy, without the makeup.

"Don't worry," the thin man continued in a monotone voice that held no room for sympathy, "you won't miss your treasures when you're dead."

Nami's eyes crackled with fire and the curvy orange-haired woman suddenly advanced on the stupid looking gunmen spitting venom. Their only saving grace was the strong arm that wrapped around her middle and kept her seething form snug against her comrade's chest.

"You stole my treasure!?" She snapped and attempted to free herself from Zoro's embrace and satisfy the urge to claw their eyes out. Nobody stole gold from Nami and all fear had instantly vanished; she was livid.

Zoro suddenly chuckled causing Nami to still against his rumbling chest in surprise. She didn't see what was funny about the situation at hand.

"So you're here to eliminate the one person who might put a damper on your little get rich quick scheme," the swordsman smiled knowingly.

Nami was completely confused but she forced a smile anyway and played along. They were after Zoro, weren't they?

"You're going to need more than a gun to get passed me and get her, though," Zoro challenged.

"Me?" Nami gasped in disbelief. They wanted her?

Zoro cast a glance in her direction and Nami learned from his eyes what his mouth wouldn't say. It took her a second before it dawned on her. It was slowly beginning to make sense and once again she was grateful for their evolving methods of communication without words. They would have to take her out because she would never leave without her money. Leaving behind money was like leaving behind nakama and it would physically pain her to do so. Money was vital to achieving their dreams even if the others didn't fully understand that. She'd always choose her friends if forced to pick between the two but she'd be damned if she let Luffy's bottomless pit of a stomach take away every last belle from her. So she wouldn't leave without her money, not without a long and possibly grueling fight for it back.

"Yes," Zoro once more eyed the smiling men like a caged animal ready to strike and tightened his grip on his swords, "you would force us all to get it back and there's no way that bitch and her little puppets could defeat all of us together, we would ruin their entire operation. There's only one thing threatening the success of their plan; one thing they need to get rid of."

"Me…" She repeated with enlightenment and for a moment her head spun, his words allowing the final piece of realization to fall into place for her. The attack at the falls, all of Zoro's injuries; it was all because of her. Everything they had endured was the result of greed and Nami felt briefly sick to her stomach. She was selfish and greedy but even the navigator had morals. She had never killed or tortured people for gold. A thief she was, but one with a good heart and friends that she would always choose over money if she was ever forced to pick between the two.

"You want me?" Nami purred sweetly. Pretty brown eyes narrowed in challenge as a slender hand disappeared into the brink of appealing cleavage. The eyes of Chubby and the thin man followed, typical.

"Come and get me," the flirtatious tone in her voice evaporated when she swiftly removed and connected the pieces of her clima tact with surprising speed and moved to stand beside Zoro instead of behind him. She could see him tense from the corner of her eye. He didn't want her fighting and possibly getting hurt but the navigator was tired of running away. She wasn't as strong as her friends but Nami wasn't helpless either and she'd be damned if she let Zoro carry the burden alone anymore. They were in this together.

"I get the girl," Chubby announced and licked his lips as if he could taste her on them. Zoro had to resist the urge to punch the obvious lust for Nami off of his ugly face. He couldn't risk revealing how much he really cared about her; he had already made that mistake in their last battle and it had almost cost them both their lives.

"Stay close," Zoro whispered just loud enough for Nami to hear and she responded with a quick nod. At least if they stayed close together they could come to each other's aid if necessary.

Rolling his shoulders to loosen up, Zoro removed his bandana from around his left bicep and tied it tightly over his hair before moving to free Wado from her sheath as well, brushing his hand meaningfully against Nami's for a split second in the process. The gesture was unnoticed to their enemies but Nami saw it for what it was and that familiar but confusing feeling tugged at her heart again.

If something happened to them, he was silently admitting that she meant more to him than he ever let on; he was saying goodbye just in case. They were Straw Hats, which meant that they would risk their lives in every battle in order to get one step closer to achieving their dreams and this situation wasn't any different. They weren't making any progress simply standing there. Meeting Zoro's gaze for a second that felt like an eternity, Nami flashed him a rarely seen affectionate smile and her eyes softened when he returned it. They weren't giving up so easily but she wanted him to know that she really didn't think he was a lazy moron like she often told him… Just in case.

When the swordsman firmly grasped Wado between his teeth it was as if he had just rang the dinner bell. The thin man removed his pistols from their holsters with lightening quick speed and opened fire, forcing Nami and Zoro to break apart to avoid the shots. Chubby took the opportunity to lunge at Nami. He wouldn't use his gun just yet; her body was too pretty for bullet holes. He came at her from the side and moved to strike her with the butt of his weapon. Nami found her footing and quickly blocked the assault with her clima tact but the impact was more than she had expected.

Grimacing at the force exerted on her arms, the navigator stumbled backwards a few steps before landing hard on her bottom. Wincing, she lifted herself up and rubbed at her sore backside; that's when she felt it. Frowning, Nami ran her fingers over the outline in her back pocket and her eyes widened. She had forgotten all about the impact dial she had been toying with the night before they reached the island.

Luffy had been begging her to let him try out the shell shaped device and Nami had been forced to hide it in the pocket of her jeans. It was significantly smaller than most of the dials that Usopp had taken from Skypiea; small enough that it had gone unnoticed until she landed on it just right, but it would still pack quite a punch if utilized correctly.

Dodging an endless stream of shots, Zoro grunted when one of them grazed his stomach. The thin man was fast but even two guns wouldn't save him.

"You're quick," the thin man remarked calmly and began to reload one of his pistols almost leisurely, "I'm faster," another round of bullets filled the air before Zoro could even think about attacking. His speed suggested devil fruit powers but then again most people assumed that about the swordsman as well. Zoro dodged a few more rounds before lunging at his opponent when he paused once more to reload his weapon.

"The trouble with guns," the swordsman grunted and readied his blades in mid charge, "they run out -"

Zoro paused in his tracks when an almost deafening shot sounded in his left ear and all other noise became muffled. The thin man stood just off to his left, having somehow moved in the middle of the swordsman's attack and opened fire. The gun was close enough to temporarily damage Zoro's hearing and the swordsman struggled to regain it. A high pitched ringing in his ears threw him off balance and Zoro shook his head to try and clear it before the dampness of his shoulder registered in his mind. Glancing down he was surprised to find a gaping bullet wound where the shot had sunk into his flesh and anchored itself in his bone.

"I missed on purpose," the thin man drawled with a stomach churning smile; he was enjoying toying around with the swordsman and wanted their fight to last a little longer.

"That's not very smart," Zoro rasped when his hearing returned to normal and advanced on the sickly thin gunman quick enough to take the man by surprise. The sting of razor sharp swords bit into the thin man's forearms when he lifted them to defend himself, "you should never hesitate if you get a clear shot at your enemy."

Zoro lunged again and the thin man stumbled backwards just out of range. It was obvious that he wasn't very good at hand to hand combat; the idiot had only practiced in the advantage that distance gave him.

"Giving up already, princess?" Chubby taunted in amusement. He had opted to simply attack her with his fists for a while and even bare handed he was a powerful opponent.

Attempting to catch her breath, Nami glared at the grinning fat man before she straightened with pride and once more readied herself for an attack. So far she had been unable to land a blow on him and had instead been forced to defend herself against his ceaseless attacks. He wasn't above hitting a woman and he showed it by repeatedly landing blows to her ribcage; Nami had the bruises to prove it.

When his gaze once more flickered to her chest even in the heat of battle, the navigator was struck with an idea. Why wasn't she using her most valuable weapon to her advantage? Her body almost immediately relaxed and she suddenly flashed the brute a flirtatious smile, leaning on her clima tact as if it were merely a walking stick.

"You know," she cooed, "you're actually pretty handsome."

Zoro and the thin man stopped in the middle of their fight to look over at the woman in shock. Zoro was furious at her words and the thin man was just plain shocked. Chubby, handsome!? Chubby immediately paused and proved just how stupid he really was when a grin spread over his face and he took a step forward. Encouraged by the fact that Nami didn't retreat, he quickly closed the gap between them until they stood within reaching distance of each other. Maybe he could keep her; maybe Captain Kagee wouldn't mind if he kept her around as a pet to play with. The man said nothing but his smile widened when the navigator suggestively ran one finger across his arm and beckoned him closer. It took quite a bit of restraint for Zoro not to step in between them and knock the guy out, but he figured that the woman had a plan; at least he hoped she did.

As Chubby leaned in to grab her for a sloppy kiss, Nami waited until he was barely three inches away from her before bringing her knee up into his groin forcefully. All air left the man as his eyes widened and a brief squeak of agony left his lips. He froze in place and the navigator took the opportunity to slam her clima tact into his face, breaking his nose and sending him flying backwards into the dirt.

"Moron," she rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip with attitude.

Zoro, although disgusted with her methods, couldn't help smiling a little because of the action before he quickly returned his attention to the thin man just as he opened fire once more.

Chubby recovered from the excruciating pain momentarily and stood, blood running down the expanse of his face. The woman should have taken him out while she had the chance; obviously she hadn't been in many fights before. Removing the large gun from behind his back, he pointed it directly at her and decided that play time was over. If he couldn't have her, he was going to get rid of her. Alarmed by the fact that he had opted for his gun, Nami quickly retrieved the small impact dial from her back pocket and cradled it in the palm of her hand. Holding it out in front of her, she squeezed her eyes shut just as Chubby pulled the trigger.

The sound of a gunshot in Nami's direction gave Zoro momentary pause. He had taken cover behind a tree as the thin man rained round after round in his direction. The orange haired woman stood with her eyes closed and her palm thrust out in front of her, unharmed. The faint outline of an impact dial in her hand gave the swordsman a brief sense of relief. He didn't care where she had gotten it, he was just glad that she had it.

The woman appeared completely unscathed by the bullet and Chubby frowned. She was holding something in her hand and pointing it at him. Assuming it was a weapon, he fired another round into the device and watch in shock as the bullet hit the small shell shaped object before clattering uselessly to the ground. What the hell was that thing made of? He stepped closer, firing another round that once more bounced off like a pesky fly. Taking another step forward, he growled audibly as he fired several more shots into the thing with no success. When he was close enough to touch her, the fat man thrust the muzzle of his gun into the underside of the navigator's chin and Nami flinched from the heat. It wasn't until the woman pressed the thing against his chest that Chubby finally realized he had gotten too close. Nami narrowed her eyes and braced herself for the pain that would rack her arm as she met Chubby's confused expression.

"Impact…" She murmured and pressed the button on the back, hitting him with the force of ten shots in one that sent them both flying several feet backwards; Nami wincing and rubbing at her abused arm and Chubby unmoving where he landed.

"You know what the trouble with guns is?" Zoro questioned once more from behind the tree and the thin man raised a brow in curiosity.

Stepping out from behind the trunk the swordsman swiftly advanced on the gunman, sword raised and ready. The thin man had not expected him to charge head on and quickly raised one of his pistols. His eyes widened when Zoro closed the gap between them with inhuman speed and the thin man quickly pulled the trigger. The hollow click of the empty chamber was the last thing he had wanted to hear, having forgotten to keep track of the number of his shots. Zoro smirked.

"They run out of ammo," he finished and stopped where he was still several feet away from his opponent, the black bandana shadowing his expression before the whistle of his blades slicing the air broke the silence and Zoro sent an attack in the thin man's direction, proving that swords could indeed breech the barriers of distance. Dark eyes widened just before the airborne attack sliced the man in several different places and his limp body crashed into the dirt.

A relieved silence filled the empty space where they stood and the birds began to chirp once more. Nami rubbed at her aching arm and returned the impact dial to the pocket of her jeans just as the first drops of rain began to fall. Tilting her face to the sky, she relished in the exhilarating chill as the storm engulfed them and began to wash away the stench of battle. The blood and the dirt left their skin in drizzling streams as the rain picked up speed and Nami actually laughed away the disbelief that she had just taken down a powerful opponent without help.

It felt like a fresh start, as if nature was saying that it was over; they could rest easy. The only problem was the fact that the witch still survived and they had no idea how many minions she might still possess. Taking apart her clima tact and returning it to her cleavage, the sound of someone shifting in the mud barely even registered. The navigator was focused on her task and simply assumed that it was probably Zoro, at least until a fat arm suddenly came around her throat in a headlock and its twin wound around her waist.

Nami froze in place and watched as Zoro looked up from making sure that his own enemy was dead, only for his face to remain blank. The swordsman had always been good at keeping his emotions masked, but Nami saw the brief flicker of something in his eyes, something unfamiliar… Fear?

"Clever little bitch," Chubby rasped weakly into her ear and the navigator had to stifle the urge to gag.

The fat man was completely focused on her and clearly severely injured. His grip was tight but it was obvious that he wouldn't be standing very long, and she caught sight of Zoro moving in her peripheral vision without catching Chubby's attention.

"I'm going to keep you," he wheezed before breaking into a fit of coughing. Blood spattered her shoulder from his mouth and Nami wrinkled her nose in disgust before the feel of the man's tongue to the side of her neck registered and the taste of vomit swiftly threatened to invade her mouth. Someone cleared their throat from behind the fat man.

"Let go," it was a firm and chilling command enforced by a razor sharp blade to the fat man's throat and almost immediately his grip on the navigator went slack.

Nami quickly moved away from his embrace and sighed in relief as the fat drops of rain water began to wash away any evidence that Chubby had touched her. The man wouldn't have been able to keep holding her for much longer since it was obvious that he was going to fall over dead anyway but she couldn't say she didn't find Zoro's compulsive need to come to her aid endearing. As if on cue the swordsman removed his sword from the man's neck and watched as the gunmen finally collapsed dead without Zoro's help and he returned his weapons to their sheaths.

With the fight over, the swordsman adrenaline began to wear off and the fact that he had been shot fully registered. The stabbing ache in his shoulder practically screamed at him and his side roared to life with even more intense pain than before. The infected but healing wound had opened up again from his movement and despite the fact that he had never been a man to show weakness, he felt a little woozy from the infection. A soft touch to his shoulder caused every muscle in his body to tense before he realized that it was Nami.

"Where the hell did you get an impact dial?"

It was the first question he could think to ask and the navigator chuckled just a little at his deflection; so they weren't going to discuss his flattering but obsessive need to protect her. Even with his severe injuries the man never changed but part of her knew that she didn't want him to.

"Luffy kept trying to play with it before we landed so I had to hide it from him. I forgot all about it until now," she explained and Zoro suddenly grinned.

"The moron always manages to save the day even when he's not around," he replied in a snarky tone but with a hint of affection underneath. Their Captain was childish most of the time but he always came through for them in the end, sometimes without even meaning to.

"You're shot," Nami gasped in realization and Zoro shrugged as if it happened every day.

"No major damage," he commented absently but the navigator swatted the area and watched as he winced to prove him wrong.

"We need to get the bullet out," she grimaced. The idea of sticking her fingers in his mauled flesh wasn't appealing but it was necessary. Zoro wordlessly hiked up the sleeve of his t-shirt and gave her a look that simply said, _be my guest._

Allowing herself a deep breath, Nami visibly shuddered before quickly digging her fingers into the entry wound. She would just do it fast, like ripping off an adhesive bandage. She gagged a little at the feel of slippery and torn muscle before her fingers finally grasped the small cartridge. Zoro remained perfectly still but she knew him well enough to see that he was fighting to ignore the pain. She wiggled her fingers to move the bullet and the swordsman jerked just a little, averting his eyes from hers as she tugged with pure determination in her features. With one final pull she removed her fingers and brought the offending projectile with her. Allowing the small cylinder to fall to the ground, she scrubbed her hands of his blood and eyed the gaping hole; at least it wasn't bleeding.

"We should be back at our starting point in two days, just leave it," Zoro offered and suddenly wrapped an arm around Nami's shoulders casually and leaned a bit of his weight on her. Wordlessly, she wrapped an arm around his waist, mindful of his injuries, and encouraged him to lean on her a little more. He was seriously injured and five days in constant battle had not helped at all. His strength was beginning to wane but she said nothing and simply helped him without appearing to do so. The swordsman definitely appreciated it, but chose not to say anything out loud.

**[][][][][]**

The pleasant sound of birds chirping in the trees alerted Nami that morning had come. Curled up firmly against Zoro's side, the navigator became intensely aware that she was soaking wet. The rain had stopped before night had fallen; had it started up again? The distinct scent of sweat assaulted her nose and she opened her eyes to find Zoro fast asleep and completely drenched. Sitting up, she pressed a hand to his forehead and frowned when she had to immediately remove it else she be scalded. He was burning up; the infection was only getting worse. They would be back at the ship by tomorrow but she wasn't sure the swordsman could go for much longer. Although he was much stronger than most men with more endurance than seemed humanly possible, even Zoro had his limits.

"Zoro…?" She whispered hesitantly and her heart leapt into her throat when she received no response. His breathing was shallower than it should have been and his cheeks were flushed with heat. His t-shirt clung to his skin and his short spiked hair had become matted to his forehead.

"Zoro!" She muttered a little louder this time in a slight panic.

"Would you shut up? I'm trying to sleep, witch," the swordsman grumbled fully awake. He only opened his eyes when a hard smack to the side of his head ruined any chance of falling back to sleep.

"Idiot, I was worried about you!" Nami fumed and Zoro only smirked before sitting up. He appeared completely fine in the way he moved but the slightest hint of hesitation before he stood and the barely noticeable stumble once he got to his feet wasn't wasted on the navigator. She quickly stood to join him and moved to his side so that he could lean on her a little. Surprisingly enough, the swordsman didn't even hesitate to surrender some of his weight to her shoulder with a nearly silent groan.

Zoro was never weak and he rarely accepted help but his nakama were different. Had he been stuck with any other member of the crew he probably would have accepted their kindness too had he been this banged up and exhausted; with Nami it was just a little easier. She was subtle about it and acted as if his arm around her shoulders and the pressure of partially holding him up was completely normal, like it happened every day. Her ankle quickly protested the added weight when they began to move but Nami ignored the appendage and simply focused on putting one foot in front of the other. It was going to be a long day of travel.

"How's your ankle?" Zoro's gravelly voice was barely above a whisper since they were probably being watched and Nami gently squeezed his uninjured side to let him know that it still hurt but she would manage. Their nonverbal communication definitely came in handy.

"It's fine," she lied and the swordsman nodded his understanding. If anyone was watching them they would appear completely normal. Nami refused to limp and although Zoro was leaning against the navigator it appeared as if he simply wanted to be affectionate. It was plausible since the witch already assumed they were a couple it seemed.

They were only about ten miles from the falls by the time they stopped for the night and made camp. They would make the final hike in the morning but for now their bodies refused to go any further. Nami sat near the bank and dipped her feet into the frigid water to dull the pain while Zoro quickly lit a fire and caught them dinner. He wasn't at his best but that didn't mean that the swordsman was helpless. If they were going to be attacked in the night or the following day he could still hold his own. Neither of them had much of an appetite and after eating only a few bites, Nami set her fish aside and chose instead to survey the damage she had sustained over the last week.

An ugly purple bruise covered the expanse of her lower leg where her ankle had been injured and the area was too tender to even touch. The mark on her stomach had begun to fade from dark blue to a sick green color but it had been joined by various other lashes from where Chubby had hammered her ribs. It wasn't pretty but it was a sign that the healing process had begun. She definitely needed a hot bath and some clean clothes but she couldn't deny the fact that the last six days had been kind of worth it. She had learned so much about Zoro and knew that arguing with him would never really be the same. They would probably still insult each other but there would always be something more beneath the shouted words, a communication that had no need for sound. Fighting with him had always been kind of fun in a strange way and she had no doubts that it would only continue to evolve.

Zoro sat slightly to her right, silently polishing the blade of the sword he seemed to treasure most. Even though he didn't have a sharpening stone he still liked to take care of his weapons in any way that he could. Removing the dried blood from the blade was one way of doing just that. He could feel her eyes on him like an itch that he couldn't quite scratch and after several minutes he found that he had polished the same spot nearly three times. She was ruining his concentration. When he finally regarded her with a curious expression he found that the woman was smiling.

"What?" He questioned with caution.

"Nothing," the navigator lied with a shrug of her shoulders.

She couldn't exactly tell him that the last six days with him had not only been bearable, but enjoyable as well despite being hunted and attacked multiple times. Silence filled the space between them before the swordsman finally returned his swords to their appropriate covers and settled beside the fire for the night, instinctively holding out his arm and allowing Nami to curl up into his side. It had become routine and he was a little worried that once they returned to the ship sleeping wouldn't quite feel the same without the warm weight of her slender form beside him. Her breath puffed against the side of his neck as she buried her face there and the slow thump of her heart beat against his skin since she was close enough. He couldn't admit it out loud, but he found it nice. There was something about the way she fit just right against him and relaxed immediately in his embrace that filled him with an unfamiliar form of pride. She felt safe in his arms and he wasn't used to someone so easily relying on him outside of the battle field.

Her breathing slowly became even but Zoro knew the navigator wasn't asleep. He could feel the occasionally brush of her lashes against his neck as she blinked and her fingertips that rested against his chest would occasionally draw imaginary circles above his heart absentmindedly.

"Her name was Kuina," he rumbled so quietly that for a moment Nami thought she had imagined it. Lifting her head, the navigator simply stared in silence, waiting for him to continue. Stamping down the urge to blush, Zoro stared up at the stars to avoid her gaze.

"I knew at a young age that I wanted to become the strongest swordsman in the world. I was so certain that I left my village at a young age in search of opponents that would make me stronger," he admitted with a smirk that Nami knew so well.

"Sounds like you," she quietly whispered with a laugh before once more falling silent.

"I ended up at a dojo run by Kuina's father. I issued a challenge and Kuina was to be my opponent. She was the best swordsman there, good enough to even defeat all of the adults," there was admiration in his voice laced with remorse and Nami knew immediately that Kuina's story would not end well.

"She beat me," he almost laughed at the look of utter shock that passed over the navigator's features, "so I trained harder. I went from two swords to three. I lifted more weight and practiced every minute of every day and continued to challenge her but she always won."

Nami couldn't believe it. Roronoa Zoro had been beaten, and by a girl? It was a little hard to believe. She hadn't been there when the swordsman had lost to Mihawk and had always thought of him as practically immortal. She said nothing, though, silently honored that the man had chosen to open up to her about his past.

"One night I challenged her to a dual with real swords. She beat me again and then told me that her dream was also to be the strongest swordsman in the world but that boys were stronger than girls so it was inevitable that I would someday best her in a dual," he scoffed, "I was insulted by the fact that she would belittle not only herself but my abilities. I didn't want to win because she was a girl, I wanted to win because I was better than her. We made a pact that one of us would become the world's greatest swordsman regardless of our genders."

Zoro smiled as he reflected about his childhood friend and rival and paused to glance at Nami who seemed completely caught up in his story. He had never opened up to any of their crew mates about his past before simply because the subject had never come up, but after the week they had shared together, he felt that she deserved to hear it.

"The next day she fell down the stairs and broke her neck retrieving a sharpening stone for her sword," he heard Nami gasp and the softness of her hand came to rest against his chest once more in a soothing gesture, "so I vowed that I would become the world's greatest swordsman. One day my name will reach the heavens and she'll know…" He trailed off, avoiding the navigator's eyes. He had never been good at talking about feelings and so he did his best to sound unaffected.

"This was hers," she leaned over him a little to thoughtfully touch the sword he guarded as thoroughly as he did his heart. A nod was her only response. Zoro had never been a man to talk about sappy stuff but she felt for him anyway. They both knew what it was like to lose someone they loved in direct relation to themselves and she couldn't help feeling honored that the swordsman had allowed her to handle the sword on multiple occasions knowing what it meant to him now.

"You will be the world's greatest swordsman," Nami whispered without hesitation and settled into his side once more. She rested her face in the crook of his neck again and Zoro contemplated her words with his eyes to the skies still, "and she'll know," she agreed with a faint smile against his skin.

A confusing but not entirely unpleasant tugging sensation pulled at his heart and coiled in his stomach, curling the corners of his lips into a small smile as the navigator swiftly drifted off to sleep. Tearing his eyes away from the blanket of stars, Zoro studied her softened features with inclination and marveled once more at the increasing feeling of comfort that came with her weight against him. This frustrating, greedy and disarmingly intelligent woman had wormed her way into his heart without his consent and Zoro wasn't quite sure how to feel about it yet. Shaking his head in amusement when the woman began to softly snore, though she would deny it if he said anything, the swordsman finally allowed sleep to take him as well.

**[][][][][]**

**A/N:** So I actually finished this chapter a little over a week ago but I like to stick to the deadlines that I set for myself. Good things come to those who wait and all that jazz. Thank you once again to my lovely beta and friend **Oceanwind** who gives me constant encouragement in my writing. Thank you to those of you who read and review, your words are always appreciated and it's always a little thrilling to see those numbers climb and getting to know the people behind those reviews. I have to say I have really enjoyed writing this piece of fiction and even though there are only two remaining chapters, I might actually throw in a one shot every now and then that gives a little peek into their lives after it ends. For now, though, thank you again for reading and reviewing, you are all amazing; until next time. P.S. Majo Kagee translated means Shadow Puppet Witch, it amuses me.

-B.


	7. Final Showdown

**Seven Days**

_Chapter Seven: Final Showdown_

With morning came the cool feel of grass beneath her fingers where only hours before it had been the solid comfort of Zoro's chest. It was unnerving, the emptiness she felt without his warmth. She was supposed to be a strong and independent woman, one who didn't need a man to hold her through the night to sleep. Somehow, though, even with her newly developed reliance on the swordsman, she couldn't bring herself to feel ashamed or weak. Nami actually felt a little empowered. How many people could say that they were permitted to sleep in the arms of the man who would become the greatest swordsman in the world, or that they had opened him up enough to hear the story of his past in his own words?

Warmth immediately pooled in her stomach and caused her heart to flutter when she thought of the little things that had changed between them. If the navigator was honest with herself than she would have admitted to feeling something for Zoro long before they even landed on Witch Island. Pretending to think of him as nothing more than a lazy moronic shield was much easier with other people around; but here when it was only the two of them, avoiding the way her pulse raced when he smirked or the way her heart clenched whenever he put his life on the line was nearly impossible.

It didn't take a genius to notice that despite their constant fighting, the swordsman still saved her life on numerous occasions and even went along with her crazy money making plans after only a few threats. There were even times when Zoro actively attempted to make her life a little easier, like when she had been sick. Not only had he cast aside his usual desire to keep to himself and slept in her room to watch over her with the rest of the crew, he had taken over her navigational duties while she recovered. Granted he had them sailing in the wrong direction and Nami had to quickly turn the ship around but the gesture was still thoughtful.

What now? The question had been weighing heavily on her mind and heart for the last few days. Logic told her that everything would go back to normal once they reached their friends. It was almost instantaneous the feeling of dread that hit her at the thought of things going back to _normal,_ normal wasn't good enough. She might, possibly, want more. Of course she would still add to his debt when she felt like it, they would still argue, but it would be mostly out of fun instead of some misguided attempt to hide what they really felt. The only problem was that Nami had her pride. Making the first move was not something she was willing to do and truth be told she was scared; scared of how their friendship would be effected and how their friends would react. She could have just been imagining things anyway. There was no way she could have feelings for a man like Zoro, it was just the circumstances that had her so confused. She frowned at the flimsy excuse and tucked the thoughts away as the swordsman came into her line of vision.

"You're awake," the husky tone of his voice told Nami that he hadn't been awake for too long.

"Yeah," she smiled at him, genuine and warm before accepting the meat that he held out for her.

It was a pleasant surprise when he sat down beside her close enough that his shoulder brushed against hers when he shifted to eat. The moment didn't last long when she realized that his shirt was soaked and beads of sweat had already begun to drip down his forehead. They would have to wait to discuss whether or not anything would change once they were home again, for now they had bigger things to worry about.

"Are you okay?" It was a quiet question, barely audible had Zoro not been sitting right next to her.

"I'm fine," he lied for her sake.

He couldn't exactly tell her that he had woken half an hour before her and wrenched his guts up in the bushes just outside of their makeshift camp. Mentioning the fact that the injury he had obtained in the river had begun to fester and that his gunshot wound had dulled the feeling in his dominant hand was probably not a good idea either. Zoro kept it to himself and forced himself to focus, fighting the pain and pretending that the various gashes and punctures didn't exist. A cool hand suddenly pressed against his forehead, then fell to cup his cheek and finished at the nape of his neck before the swordsman actually paused to look up.

He didn't miss the flush in Nami's cheeks when their eyes met and she quickly pulled her hands away. She didn't have to mention that he was burning up since they both knew it, or that the coolness of her touch had felt nice against his scalding flesh; they had both felt him lean into her hands just slightly enough to be noticeable.

"Didn't say you could stop, witch," he grunted in a half-hearted command and Nami laughed because it was so… Zoro; He didn't care what other people thought about him and so practically demanding that she continue didn't embarrass the man at all. He was undiluted confidence in one dangerous and attractive package.

"A please would be nice," Nami practically sung and laughed once more when Zoro pulled a face.

Despite his refusal to ask nicely, the navigator returned her chilled hands to his skin once more, cupping them around his neck. A soft sigh was her only response as she dragged them along his jaw, hesitated near his lips before once more pressing them against his forehead. While the playful banter and innocent touches were nice, she knew that they needed to get back to the ship as soon as possible. His fever was nearing the point of being fatal and only Chopper could bring it back down at this point.

"We should probably get moving," her murmured statement was hesitant as she slowly removed her hands, allowing them to brush against his chest before they finally fell loose at her sides.

"Missing your love cook?" The jab was delivered teasingly as he moved to stand and held out a hand to help her up. Even though she would have found insult in his words one week ago, his grin was enough to make her smile in return before slipping her hand into his and allowing him to haul her to her feet.

"He's not _my_ love cook," Nami repeated firmly and looked away when Zoro's smile grew wider.

"Just checking," he joked nonchalantly before releasing her and swiftly retrieving his swords to get moving.

His words left the navigator slightly confused and left to wonder at the implication. He was either trying to bait her into a playful argument or genuinely jealous of Sanji, at least enough to be happy about the fact that she didn't consider the cook to be hers. Either way, the thought left her smiling and gave her heart a little surge of hope.

"I know you don't hate him," Nami said in that annoying matter-of-fact voice as she casually climbed onto Zoro's back. He was in a weakened state but even at the brink of death the man was unnaturally strong and held her up with ease.

"Of course I don't hate him," the swordsman admitted without hesitation or animosity in his tone. He was not ashamed to admit that while the shit cook was beyond irritating, he didn't harbor any hatred for any of his nakama, his family. That didn't mean that he didn't enjoy getting on the noodle-limbed idiot's nerves on a daily basis, "he's just too easy to fuck with."

Baiting Sanji into a fight was as simple as insulting the cook's spectacular cooking or teasing him for staring at one of the girls a little too long. Zoro could admit that he enjoyed their fighting to some degree. The cook held nothing back and it was nice to spar with an opponent who could almost match you hit for hit without really intending to murder you in the end; but the two men had an unspoken agreement.

They didn't have to say out loud that they didn't really hate each other because it was already implied by the simple fact that they had yet to kill each other and they weren't exactly sappy morons who sat around discussing feelings of friendship. In the end they would sacrifice themselves for one another just as they would for any other member of the crew and that kind of respect was more important than words could ever be.

"Men," Nami rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh and tightened her grip on his shoulders when Zoro unexpectedly shifted her on his back.

"Without this man saving your ass all the time you'd be dead by now," he scoffed without any real menace.

"Oh please, without me you would be lost," the navigator rolled her eyes and felt the need to add, "literally."

"My directional skills are just fine," Zoro countered, so serious that Nami burst into a fit of laughter that she quickly had to muffle into his shirt. Once the woman finally calmed, she rested her chin against the swordsman's shoulder and smirked with amusement.

"You're just afraid to admit that you need me," she smugly breathed against his ear and relished in the resulting shiver that travelled the length of Zoro's spine strong enough for her to feel it.

"You wish," he responded just as smugly but smiled despite the serious tone.

Silence settled between them save for the steady thump of Zoro's boots against the ground before Nami took a deep breath and risked a little of herself to confess, "It's going to be a little strange sleeping in my own bed again…"

She hesitated and decided not to mention the fact that it would only be strange because the swordsman wouldn't be next to her. If he noticed the implication behind her words, Zoro gave no indication and the navigator silently cursed him for being so dense.

"It's only been a week, I'm sure your body will appreciate the change," the swordsman shrugged, effectively dismissing the conversation and any hope that he might take that little step into the door that they had already opened so that she wouldn't have to.

If anything was going to happen between them it was obvious that Nami would have to be the one to initiate it. She wasn't used to being the one to do the pursuing. It wasn't like she had ever had trouble attracting men in the past, but Zoro was different and even though it annoyed her that he didn't seem to realize things had changed between them, the fact that he was so very different from most men was one of the many reasons she found him so attractive. Regardless of how nice and enlightening the last week had been, however, she wasn't sure if she was up for the challenge that was Roronoa Zoro just yet.

Her thoughts were disturbed by the sound of falling water and the two Straw Hats smiled in unison when they realized that the falls they had gathered water from had to be less than a mile away. They were almost home.

"I'm going to take a long hot shower as soon as we get back home," Nami sighed in a dreamy voice.

"You could definitely use one," Zoro snorted and then growled when the navigator smacked him in the back of the head.

"Then I'm going to count all of the treasure," she continued as if he had said nothing, "and I'm going to eat enough food to even put Luffy to shame," Nami grumbled just as her stomach growled and Zoro laughed. He couldn't bring himself to be insulted by the fact that she had missed Sanji's cooking. He missed it too, but he would die before he told the love cook that.

The closer the sound of the falls got, the more drained the swordsman began to feel. His body had been running on pure endurance and adrenaline for the last few days and realizing that they were almost to their destination sapped away much of his strength. They weren't there yet, and the witch was still alive so he forced himself to remain alert despite the fact that every muscle screamed at him to shut down and rest.

"What are you going to do?" Nami questioned with a frown when her companion remained silent.

"Take a nap," he responded simply. Nami laughed and shook her head in amusement. The man really was relatively easy to please, though they both knew that he would mostly likely be given a few doctors' orders before actually being allowed to sleep.

As the falls finally came into view Zoro eased Nami back onto her own feet gently and moved to unsheathe two of his swords before the navigator even realized something was happening. Only the sound of the rushing water filled the area where they had gathered water seven days prior but the swordsman remained tensed, narrowed eyes searching the cover of the trees. Frowning, Nami took a small step forward and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" she whispered over the roar of the water but Zoro dismissed the question with a roll of his shoulder just before three shadow cloaked figures stepped out into the open. One silhouette was easily identified as the witch while the other two had to be her remaining minions. He had suspected them to show up for one last show down before he and Nami reached the crew, but he had kind of hoped they would have given up. The numbness in his left hand was cause to worry.

"Oh, Zoro," Kagee clicked her tongue in distaste, shaking her head but the amused smile made it clear that she really didn't feel any sympathy for him, "you look a little worse for wear."

"Never felt better," Zoro lied smoothly and flashed the woman a convincing smirk. She was fingering a coiled black whip and it was obvious that she intended to fight this time. She didn't look like much for a physical fight but the sun was already high in the sky and there wasn't a cloud in sight, so the odds were already against them. Lifting his chin in defiance of his own pain, Zoro simply brightened his smirk into a grin and straightened.

"Mm, so that infected wound on your side and the fact that the feeling in your left hand is compromised is no big deal?" The witch questioned sweetly and the swordsman's composure faltered for a second, causing the woman to laugh.

"You didn't really think I wouldn't be watching, did you?" Kagee sneered and her two minions laughed along with her.

Frowning, Nami glanced over at Zoro in confusion and her heart skipped a beat when she noticed his tensed posture. His wounds had been far worse than she had initially thought and it was obvious that he had been hiding it from her, Kagee had clearly touched a nerve.

"Zoro?" She whispered to him in question but her only response for a few minutes was the bob of his Adams apple when he swallowed thickly. They were already in deep shit if the witch had guessed the severity of his injuries but he still had a lot of stamina left in him. Zoro was not the type of man to back down without a fight, at the very least he would get Nami to safety before he went down.

"I'm fine," he promised her gently so that only she could hear him before regarding the witch once more.

Words no longer needed when the witch's remaining puppets stepped forward. The tallest one was cloaked and hooded in black, shadowing his face and giving him an ominous look. The only sign of flesh was the pair of hands peeking out from under the sleeves of the cloak, long pale fingers curled around a single katana. The second man was sporting a shaved head with a jagged scar that ran from the base of his skull down to his left eyebrow and his weapon of choice was a long length of chain with a sickle like hook at the end of it. It was the witch that disturbed Zoro the most though, since her eyes were trained on Nami and she had begun to uncurl the whip at her side.

"I want you to watch this," the witch announced to Nami before she narrowed the gap between the couple.

Her minions stood perfectly still just watching as their captain advanced. Narrowing his eyes, Zoro moved to block the woman's path to Nami only to find that his feet were firmly rooted to the ground and her sights were set on him. He was quickly growing tired of her little shadow puppet game; obviously the woman didn't have the balls to face them without her devil fruit powers.

"Coward," he spat at her feet once she was close enough and her eyes narrowed dangerously in response. The ear splitting crack of her whip drowned out anything else he would have said before the sharp pain stole his breath.

Zoro had been injured by many different weapons over the years but he mentally marked whip as one of the worst. It was a mixed feeling of scalding flame and biting blade and the painful snap against his chest nearly caused his mask to fall, but the swordsman refused to give the bitch the satisfaction of seeing his discomfort. Another crack of her whip ripped open a sizeable portion of the scar that Mihawk had inflicted and again Zoro was forced to block out the urge to flinch.

"Stop it!" Nami half demanded, half pleaded. Seeing Zoro's flesh lashed open was not an image she could easily banish and the navigator had already had enough. Kagee's laughter was the only response before another snap shook the surrounding air, leaving another long and ugly gash, this time in the swordsman's left bicep.

Zoro remained an unmoving statue but Nami felt herself cringe for him. With the witch and her subordinates distracted, Nami fluidly removed her clima tact from her shirt and assembled the weapon. She knew that despite the fact that she wasn't helpless, she would be no match against three powerful people and freeing the swordsman with brute force would be useless. There was one thing she could do, however, and she took a deep breath in preparation. Behind her back, she began to spin the required pieces of the staff like a baton and hoped that the others wouldn't notice her movement.

"That's it?" Zoro scoffed and spit blood into the dirt as if the various lacerations dotting his chest were nothing. His entire torso was dripping blood and his shirt had been reduced to tattered rags but it was as if he was trying to buy the navigator a little more time. Their wordless communication had become almost as necessary as water. Glaring daggers at her victim, Kagee growled before striking the swordsman with the back of her hand this time hard enough to jerk his head to the side. She quickly realized her grave mistake when she raised her hand once more to smack him and an alarmingly strong fist curled around her wrist, stilling her movement.

"How-" the witch gasped when she realized that it was Zoro who had stopped the assault and her eyes quickly flickered to the dark cloud hovering just over the light of the sun and disabling her devil fruit powers. Her gaze quickly found the source of the obstacle and found the swordsman's orange haired companion smiling.

"Cloudy Tempo," Nami murmured melodically and finally pieced her clima tact back together. The cloud would last long enough for them to get the advantage in this fight and Nami felt her heart swell a bit when Zoro sent her a brief smirk of approval.

The victory was short lived when the heavy weight of a chain coiled around Zoro's wrist and ripped his grip off of Kagee. As soon as she was free the witch quickly retreated to hide behind her puppets once more. Wrenching his arm from the cold metal, Zoro leisurely removed the bandana from his left bicep and silently tied it over his hair.

"Nami," his tone was serious but with a hint of something that sounded very much like pride, "can you keep that cloud in place?"

He was proud of her, and Nami quickly straightened with the knowledge that she had helped to get them on equal footing in their fight. She felt genuinely useful for the first time since they had set foot on the island.

"Of course," she responded with renewed confidence, watching as Zoro smirked before gripping Wado between his teeth and giving Kagee's minions a look that practically screamed _come and get me._

The mysterious man cloaked in black was the first to move, lunging at Zoro and electrifying the air with the sound of swords clashing. His opponent was better with a blade than Zoro had anticipated and the numbness in his left hand was already proving problematic. The cloaked figure stepped to the side before once more striking at Zoro, who barely had enough time to block the attack with the sluggish reflexes in his exhausted muscles and their joined blades came dangerously close to Zoro's chest when his dominant hand failed to function at full strength.

Shoving the man back, Zoro pulled himself together before attacking, only to have the heavy weight of the second man's chain wrapped around his mid section and the painful pierce of the hook cutting into his stomach and it became clear that both men would be his to fight. He hissed out as he ripped the hook out of his flesh and threw the chain to the ground with disgust as he parried another blow from the first man. _This is going to be an interesting fight_, he thought to himself and a smirk escaped his lips as he eyed his two opponents.

Nami watched Zoro with anticipation, studying him for any sign of weakness that could be noticed by their foes. While absorbed in the swordsman's fight she focused on refueling the cloud over the sun every few minutes while the men fought. It was the least she could do with Zoro in such bad shape and still protecting them both against their powerful assailants. It was then that Kagee had finally had enough. For seven full days she had been trying to end the life of the annoying orange haired navigator and her protector and each day had ended in failure. The witch had built her entire life around wealth and this woman and man was an obstacle that risked the end to the cozy lifestyle she had acquired and she'd be damned if she would allow that to happen.

The sudden crack of the witch's whip took the navigator off guard, but it was the sharp pain in her uninjured ankle and her sudden loss of balance that sent Nami reeling. She landed painfully on her back and sat up to find her ankle bleeding and the witch standing a few feet away with murder in her eyes. Her clima tact clattered to the ground six inches from her right side and Nami quickly grappled for it just as another crack split the air and found purchase in the already damaged ankle that was attempting to heal. Unable to stop the scream of agony that passed her lips, Nami gulped in some air and stamped down on the urge to vomit before her hands finally found the feeling of cool metal.

The sticky feeling of blood coated her feet but Nami ignored it and quickly blocked Kagee's next attack by shielding herself with her staff. She watched with dazed fascination as the whip instead coiled around the blue cylinder before it slackened and fell to the ground having not found flesh to rip open. Pushing herself up onto shaking legs, the navigator took a deep breath before moving into an offensive stance. The witch seemed taken aback, hesitating for just a moment in the knowledge that Nami intended to fight back, and it was just the opening that Nami needed.

She lunged and the sickening sound of metal on bone caused another wave of nausea to rise to the surface but Nami quickly suppressed it. Battles were messy and it was time that she stopped caring, stopped allowing her opponents to walk all over her. Risking a glance at Zoro, Nami couldn't help but admire the fact that he could take on two opponents while so severely injured and appear completely unaffected. The thought was interrupted by a moan of pain from the witch but the sound of swords and chains nearly drowned out the noises that came with her own fight.

The man in black was very good with a single sword, Zoro would give him that much. It didn't help that the scarred man stayed just outside of his range and would throw in a dangerous swing with his scythe on occasion when Zoro would get too close. Having two opponents to worry about was starting to be taxing and he had various puncture and dragged open wounds to show for it. His legs and stomach were particularly battered to show that neither of his opponents intended for him to still be standing in the end.

"That's the best you can do?" Zoro taunted while dodging an elegant sword strike meant for his heart.

Neither of Kagee's little puppets appeared to be getting tired and the swordsman was really beginning to feel the extent of his injuries. His attacks were not working at full strength because of his dominant hand being little more than useless and the freshly reopened wound from that first day in the river was _almost_ crippling. Side stepping the heavy chain and hook, Zoro stomped his foot down over the top of the long weapon and tugged it with his right hand, sending the scarred man sprawling into the dirt on his face.

Avoiding another blow from the man in black's sword, he managed to cross the gap between him and his fallen prey before the scarred man could stand back up and swiftly executed a killing blow with two of his three blades. Even without having full feeling in his dominant hand, the simple fact was the man had not come prepared. When fighting against a skilled swordsman, a long distance weapon was not the best choice without any means to protect oneself. Zoro didn't have time to relish the brief victory because the man in black was on him again, forcing him to step back several times when the single katana nearly sliced into his chest with skilled precision. Dodging the blow just in time, he glanced in Nami's direction when the sound of breaking bone assaulted his ears just to make sure that she was okay. It wasn't the most rational thing to do in the middle of a battle but he was rarely rational around the navigator anyway.

The witch stumbled backwards and brought a hand to her nose. It was broken and blood was already beginning to trickle over her otherwise porcelain skin. Wiping the blood away with the back of her hand, Kagee fixed a glare on Nami and readied her whip once more. It had been many years since anyone had ever made her bleed. All she had to do was take down the navigator, which would remove the cloud, and then Zoro would be done for. It would be like taking candy from a baby… once the most annoying obstacle was removed.

"She bleeds," Nami murmured in a condescending tone, implying that the witch was mortal just like the rest of them and not above dying in battle.

"We're not so different, you and I," Kagee drawled casually and used Nami's brief moment of hesitation to her advantage, cracking her whip once more and catching the navigator around her right wrist. Nami's clima tact once more clattered to the ground and she winced while grabbing onto her weeping wrist, blinking back the tears that threatened to blur her vision.

"We both know that money is power and we constantly strive for more," the witch pointed out with another crack that caught Nami's other wrist and sent her slamming back onto her bottom in the dirt once more. Silence stretched between them except for the sounds of swords clashing several feet away; Kagee laughing darkly in her triumph.

"Money always wins, Nami," she continued and began to twist her whip back into a coiled position and strap it to her hip once more. She wanted to kill the girl with her bare hands instead.

"I'm nothing like you," Nami snapped and once more forced herself to stand, cradling her clima tact to her chest like a lifeline, "and friendship is more important."

Kagee nearly doubled over in laughter at the young woman's admission and Nami charged, thrusting her staff into the woman's chest so hard it sent the witch stumbling backwards several feet until she teetered on the very edge of the cliff. Her eyes went wide as she struggled to regain her balance and for mere seconds the woman actually appeared human, frightened and silently pleading for help. All was silent but for the resounding clash of swords loudly in the background.

"You're pretty good," Zoro grunted to the silent man currently blocking one of his three sword style attacks. Even though their situation was kill or be killed, it was always refreshing to fight an opponent worthy of the time and effort it took to effectively execute each move.

The man's technique was so familiar but Zoro couldn't quite put his finger on it. Ignoring the pang of familiarity, he slashed for the man's throat but his opponent moved just in time, allowing Zoro's strike to catch on the clasp that held the cloak together instead. The heavy black material fell and puddled at the man's feet and Zoro paused in surprise for just a moment when he realized that this was no man. He was staring into the face of a woman, who simply smiled before lunging at him once more.

It wasn't the woman's gender that had shocked him, but rather that she was using a technique very similar to Kuina's. That was why it had seemed so familiar, and for a moment he was shell shocked, only defending himself against her blows instead of executing another attack. She looked nothing like Kuina, with vibrant blue eyes and long wavy blonde hair, but the way she moved and handled her sword was almost identical to the friend he had lost so many years ago. He didn't need to be told that this was the witch's first mate, the only female crew member who had not been banished, because it went without saying in her skill.

A slash to his stomach jolted Zoro from his thoughts and he quickly pulled himself together. It didn't matter how similar her technique seemed, or the fact that she was a woman, she was a dangerous opponent and there was no doubt in his mind that if she managed to finish him off she would be going straight for Nami. Refueled by that thought alone, Zoro quickly switched from defensive to offensive and pushed the woman back with a few strikes of his own, glaring into her smiling face and willing whatever was left of his stamina and adrenaline to pool in his left arm. He only needed one opening and one good shot and it would all be over.

"You're not so bad yourself," the woman finally purred in a voice like smooth silk, her smile unfailing, obviously enjoying his well rounded skill, "but are you sure that you're good enough?"

Their fight had paused, her single sword poised at the base of his throat, barely ghosting over his jugular and one of Zoro's own hovering just over her heart. Even in this compromising state, the woman appeared amused but made no move to finish him off. She obviously knew that even while dying he could kill her in the process.

"Finish him and kill the girl!" Kagee shouted from the ledge at her first mate and Zoro's expression hardened just as the woman moved to slice his throat.

He beat her to it and quickly ended their fight with only the whistle of three swords to break the silence, watching as her eyes widened in shock at having never been bested in a fight. She regarded Zoro with an unmistakable glance of respect before flashing him a parting smile just as the blood trickled past her lips and the woman slumped to the ground in a lifeless heap. His chest heaved with each labored breath and he returned his swords to their rightful sheaths before turning to find Nami.

The witch flailed her arms in an attempt to steady herself but it only served to tip her backwards a little further, causing her to lose her balance completely and begin to topple over the edge. It was the fear in her eyes that gripped the navigator. Before she could even think about what she was doing, Nami reached out her hand to save the woman and grabbed a fist full of her dress, steadying her movements for a second.

"Nami, don't!" Zoro shouted in a panic, but it was too late.

The witch smiled as she grabbed onto Nami's arm and attempted to haul herself back up onto firm ground, but the action caused the navigator to lose her balance and they both went tumbling over the edge of the cliff with a scream.

"Nami!" Zoro crossed the distance in a few short strides and collapsed onto his stomach to peer over the edge. It was a different spot than where they had originally fallen and there was nothing but sharp rocks at the bottom. His breath left him in a relieved rush when he spotted Nami clinging to a rock that jutted out a few feet below the edge she had fallen from, but the witch had not been so lucky. He could see the tattered remains of her body impaled on several of the sharp rocks below.

Stretching as far as his body would allow Zoro frowned when he realized that he still couldn't reach Nami. She looked up at him with an apologetic little smile but the terror in her eyes was clear. Grunting at the pain that the effort caused, he grabbed onto a nearby boulder with his left hand and slowly eased himself over the side until her hand found purchase in his right one. Her added weight caused his grip to slip from the boulder a little making Zoro curse.

"Shit," he growled out. Using his nerve damaged hand to hold onto their only anchor was probably not the best idea but he knew that grabbing Nami with it would have been even worse. It wasn't until she let go of the rock she was holding onto and trusted all of her weight to him that he suddenly realized he wouldn't be able to pull them both back up; he was too drained and the position was too awkward. Chances were they were going to die here, fall down to the rocks when his arm finally gave out.

Glancing down at Nami, he offered her a small Zoro smirk when he noticed she was still smiling at him, understanding in her expression. She had known the minute he lowered himself down that they weren't getting out of this and had already accepted that she would probably die with him. Even if she managed to climb up his body and onto the ledge, there was no way she could pull his weight up on her own.

"Witch…" He grumbled breathlessly and silently wished that he could pull her close for an embrace before the end. He had never been a feelings kind of guy but he wanted it in his last moment of life, that connection that he had never shared with anyone else.

"Brute…" She echoed with the glisten of unshed tears blurring her vision. Zoro could only swallow thickly in response.

The sound of metal sliding over strong material broke him from their tender moment and he realized that with the awkward angle that came with keeping Nami from falling to her death, Kuina's sword had begun to slide from the sheath he always kept it in. Zoro could only watch as the sword wiggled free inch by inch and his heart nearly stopped in his chest. He was left with a decision, let go of Nami and save the sword he treasured almost as much as he did Kuina's memory, or hold on to the woman who both annoyed and fascinated him and allow the weapon to fall and most likely disappear into the river. Both of their eyes fell on the sword as it continued to slide out of its cover and Zoro sighed audibly.

His decision had been made before the weapon had even begun to move. He would never let go of Nami, even if his choice would only give them a few spare minutes left of life, she would always be his choice. His breath left him when the white hilted sword finally slid completely free and began to tumble toward the sharp rocks. In his heart he was saying goodbye, and it was harder than anything he had ever had to do.

A muffled whimper of pain assaulted his ears and Zoro blinked away his thoughts before he realized what was happening. Nami's face scrunched up in discomfort and his eyes followed the length of her free arm until he was met with the sight of fresh blood trickling over her hand. Clutched in her white knuckle grip was Wado, hilt facing the depths below and the blade firmly rooted in her unmoving grasp. For a moment he only stared, shocked by the image of what he was seeing. As the initial pain subsided, Nami only looked up at him before flashing him a cocky grin.

She was proud to have caught the item he cherished so much. Knowing what it meant to him and the history behind it, she simply could not allow it to be lost and his pride in his nakama only swelled all the more. He couldn't help the infectious pull of his own lips into a grin and he squeezed her hand in a silent thank you. This was it. He had always thought that he would die in the middle of battle alongside the rest of the crew, but he could not bring himself to feel ashamed that he would die attempting to save one of his closest friends.

"What are you guys doing?" Luffy's voice interrupted his thoughts and Zoro's head snapped up so fast he lost his grip on the boulder, but the swordsman was quickly grabbed by an inhumanly strong rubber hand. Luffy was seated at the edge of the cliff peering down at them with an innocent and confused expression, as if they had decided that hanging over the ledge was fun and he had not been invited.

"Luffy!" Nami's cry of relief was instantaneous and their Captain grinned in response, still dangling them over the edge.

"Pull us up you moron!" Zoro snarled and Luffy laughed before quickly tugging his nakama back onto steady ground none too gently and standing up.

"I've been looking for you guys for days!" He admitted with a shameless laugh, not even paying attention to the dead swordswoman and scythe bearer who laid only feet away or the less than healthy look of his crew mates.

"It only takes half an hour to get to this part of the river from the town," Nami pointed out with a roll of her eyes. She already knew that the rubber man must have gotten lost and just arrived here in the nick of time, like usual.

"I'm hungry," Luffy ignored his navigator's statement and rubbed a hand over his protesting stomach. Nami just couldn't bring herself to be angry, she was so happy to see their Captain that she could only continue to smile.

Zoro found himself smiling too, returning Wado to her sheath after Nami handed it back to him. The blade was sticky with her blood but he would clean it later and properly thank her once he got the chance to get her alone. As if on cue, the rest of the crew came bounding out of the woods, a fuming Sanji in the lead.

"You fucking idiot, we've been chasing you around the woods for three days! Stop running off when you don't even know where you're g-" Sanji's rant immediately ceased when he saw Nami.

"Nami-Swan!" He swooned and danced around her like a love sick puppy before his gaze found Zoro.

"You bastard, Nami-swan is hurt! You should have taken better care of her!" He snapped and pushed himself into the swordsman's personal space.

"Fuck off, shit cook," Zoro scowled but their verbal battle was cut short by Chopper, who shoved his way through the group to inspect their friends.

With the crew reunited, the last of Zoro's adrenaline wore off completely and the sting of hundreds of injuries caused the sides of his vision to blacken. She was safe, the crew would protect her; he could rest. His body gave up on fighting the infection that already coursed through his blood and he collapsed to the ground face first with only the sound of Nami screaming his name ringing in his unconscious brain.

"Doctor! We need a doctor!" Chopper wailed and Nami turned to him with animosity.

"That's you!" She practically bit his head off and the little reindeer snapped out of his momentary state of panic to quickly look over Zoro.

"We need to get him back to the ship," Chopper didn't say why but it was obvious that Zoro's life was on the line. Sanji bent down to lift the swordsman over his shoulder without a word, clearly worried though he would deny it if asked, while Luffy gave Nami a piggy back ride and headed back toward the ship.

"Other way, Luffy," the navigator grimaced tiredly but smiled when the Captain quickly righted his direction and headed back toward the village.

**[][][][]**

**A/N: **First of all, this chapter is one day late… Sorry! Life has been hectic and I wrote most of this yesterday afternoon to be honest, so I hope it doesn't disappoint. The next chapter will be the last and I'm sad to see it end but I'm sure you will all adore the ending I have planned and I'm already working on another ZoNa piece for Christmas anyway. You just can't stop me when I'm obsessed! I wanted to thank all of my loyal readers and reviewers especially this time. You guys have made writing this story more rewarding than I had ever thought it would be. When I first started, all I had in mind was the ending and the rest was pretty much winging it to get them there, but you loved it and I loved you all for loving it. I definitely feel lucky to have taken the time to respond to each of you individually because you are all such wonderful and encouraging people! So I want to dedicate this chapter to all of you, 89 reviews on only 6 chapters! That has never happened to me before, so cheers and thank you so much! As always thank you thank you thank to my wonderful beta reader and friend **Oceanwind** for keeping me sane and giving me several pointers. Until next time, my friends, happy reading.

-B.


	8. Still Smiling

**Seven Days**

_Chapter 8: Still Smiling_

"Blood poisoning," Nami repeated the words that Chopper had uttered just moments before, mostly to herself, unable to really grasp it. It didn't feel real. Zoro was invincible, Zoro could overcome anything.

"The medical term is sepsis," Chopper murmured quietly. The crew was crammed into Chopper's tiny office space mulling over the swordsman's prognosis, "with a heavy dose of antibiotics, he should be able to beat it," though the doctor didn't sound so sure.

It was the first time in a long time that the Straw Hat's had all been silent in unison. Even Luffy simply sat there with a frown on his face and his brows furrowed together in concentration. The infection that Zoro had been battling for the past week had been severe enough to poison his blood. Without immediate medical attention the poison had begun to attack his organs and the unconscious Zoro was left to endure the internal war going on between the infection and the antibiotics.

"Fucking shit swordsman can't even fight off an infection," Sanji scoffed, leaning against the door frame and anxiously chewing at an unlit cigarette to the point where it could hardly be called a cigarette anymore. He was upset and unsure how to process the information, though the occasional flicker of his gaze over to the alarmingly still swordsman made it clear that his words were just the cook's way of coping.

"Zoro, I'm going to drink all of the liquor!" Usopp shouted and dramatically flailed his arms beside Zoro in an attempt to both lighten the mood and snap the man out of his comatose state. When it didn't work, he visibly deflated and could only stand there in disbelief. He had never known Zoro to look so vulnerable and it was frightening to think that he might actually die from such a tiny opponent; bacteria.

Robin was perched on the edge of a stool with her hands neatly folded in her lap, simply observing. She appeared completely calm but on the inside, even the archaeologist was worried. Though she hadn't been part of the crew since the beginning of their formation, she had developed a strong bond with each of them but showing emotion had never been one of her strong suits. Her roving eyes landed on Nami who appeared to be in the worst shape. The navigator had been trying to hold back the tears but they silently slipped down her cheeks in stubborn defiance anyway where she sat on the other stool at the end of the swordsman's makeshift bed.

"It's my fault…" Nami finally murmured and angrily wiped at her cheeks, "he got those injuries protecting me…"

"That's enough," Luffy finally spoke up in a rarely used commanding voice, immediately drawing the attention of his loyal crew.

"Luffy…" Nami sniffled.

"We protect each other," the Captain interrupted as he stood, one hand resting against his hat and his head slightly bowed, "Zoro will get better." There was no room for disagreement in his words.

"But, Luffy," Nami was about to argue that Zoro would have been fine if it hadn't been for her but the Captain lifted his hand and instantly silenced her.

"I have seen Zoro tied to a post without food or water for nearly a month," Luffy lifted his head to reveal eyes that held no hint of doubt, "I've seen him drag me and a heavy cage out of the line of fire while severely injured from a stab wound," the crew visibly perked up as their Captain continued to rattle off instances where their swordsman had persevered even when all of the odds were stacked against him, "and I've seen him survive a point blank strike from the blade of the greatest swordsman in the world. Zoro will get better," Luffy smiled and began to move toward the door to leave, placing his hat on Nami's head in the process, effectively shadowing her tear streaked face, "we're nakama… We stick together." The Captain grinned in classic Luffy fashion before he left the room to most likely raid the kitchen.

"He's right," Usopp concluded quickly and left the room with one last glance at his unconscious friend.

"Nami, you should rest," Chopper pushed quietly, eyeing the navigator's bandaged ankles and wrists. Her wounds had not been nearly as severe as Zoro's but they had been impressive nonetheless. The lashes from the witch's whip had been the easiest to treat, but the ankle she had been walking on had actually been fractured in a couple of places and the ligaments had been stretched almost to the snapping point. She had to stay off of it otherwise it wouldn't heal properly and she would be left to walk with a limp for the duration of her life.

"I'm staying," she whispered beneath the brim of Luffy's hat.

"Nami-swan, let me carry you to the kitchen and I'll prepare a feast worthy of your beautiful mouth," Sanji swooned but his jaw fell open in shock when the navigator actually lifted her head to glare at him.

"I'm staying," she repeated firmly and Sanji reminded himself to close his gaping mouth.

"Cook-san, I'm hungry," Robin lied to break the tension and Sanji's attentions immediately fell to the raven-haired beauty.

"Of course, Robin-chwan!" Sanji practically danced and the two departed, Nami flashing Robin a softened expression of gratitude.

"I'll be back to check on you and bring you some food in about an hour," Chopper promised before hesitantly retreating as well. He could sense that the two needed to be alone, even if Zoro wasn't awake. Whatever had happened in the woods had formed a stronger attachment between the swordsman and navigator and all of the Straw Hats could feel it.

The sound of Zoro's even breathing filled the room and Nami's shoulders finally slumped when the need to appear okay for the sake of the crew disappeared. _Zoro will get better,_ Luffy's words bounced around in her head and the navigator held onto them as if her life depended on it. Her body ached from dehydration and the need for sleep blurred the edges of her vision but Nami couldn't bring herself to leave him. The thought of a hot shower and a warm bed was tempting but she knew that had their situations been reversed, Zoro would stay until he was sure that she would be alright.

She had never realized how thankful she should have been for all of the little luxuries that came with the ship and their crew and how thankful she should have been for Zoro. He had been hurt before but this time was different. This time he was on the brink of death after not only protecting her, but he had also taken care of her without complaint when she was at her lowest point and Nami felt the need to return the favor. It wasn't because she was scared of losing him or because the thought of never seeing that irritating smirk of his again was unbearable, no… She was only doing it because she felt obligated to after all that he had done for her.

The navigator frowned down at her trembling hands and attempted to convince herself of that. She couldn't have feelings for Zoro. He was stubborn, arrogant, directionally challenged and frustrating. She couldn't have feelings for the swordsman…. Could she? Exhausted from the emotional battle raging on between her mind and heart, Nami stood from the stool with a shake of her head as if to banish the muddled thoughts and lifted her hand to stifle a yawn. The coarse feel of the bandage gave her pause and she stared at the wrapped limb for a moment, recalling their last moments together on the cliff.

She hadn't missed the rare softening in Zoro's features as they said goodbye or the tender way he had offered up her nickname. Seven days together had proved what Nami had known since the beginning but refused to recognize, that Zoro was a good man and exactly her type. He was fiercely loyal and able to communicate a wide variety of emotion with one word or look. He was the stability and balance of good and irritating that Nami had been missing since Bellemere and even though they were constantly in the face of danger, the swordsman always pulled through. She was always afraid of allowing herself to become romantically attached to anyone only to watch them die in the end and so she kept her walls built and the yearning of her heart shoved into the recesses of her mind.

The soft sound of snoring wretched her from her thoughts and Nami watched the swordsman roll over onto his uninjured side still asleep. After a brief pause he started snoring again and the navigator rolled her eyes with a smile. Zoro would get better; he was too stubborn to allow an infection to claim his life and Nami slumped with both relief and the weight of exhaustion. Without giving much thought to her actions, she carefully climbed into the space on the bed that Zoro had vacated by rolling over after setting Luffy's hat on the table and settled underneath the blankets. She was tired, she didn't want to leave him alone and she had been sleeping next to him for the last week, what was one more night?

Shifting to her side so that her back was facing his front, she kept a modest amount of space between them on the twin size mattress in case their friends came to check on them but a strong arm suddenly wound around her middle and tugged her back into the solid warmth of his chest. Nami felt her cheeks flush when Zoro's arm remained wrapped around her and his breath puffed against her hair in a steady rhythm that indicated he was still asleep. Another smile tugged at the corners of her lips with the realization that the swordsman wanted her close even while unconscious, and his familiar scent and the comforting feel of radiating heat against her back was enough to lull her into a fitful sleep herself.

**[][][][]**

"Nami," a soft but familiar whisper woke the navigator from her pleasant dreams.

"Chopper?" She responded groggily.

The doctor was in his human form and leaning over the bed with only a lantern to light the otherwise dark room. Nami forgot where she was for a moment until Chopper set a tray of food off to the side and it dawned on her that she must have fallen asleep for a few hours and slept through dinner.

"I need to change his bandages," the reindeer whispered and gestured to the other side of the bed. Zoro was still dead to the world but his firm grip around her waist still had her rooted snuggly against his chest. Nami immediately felt her cheeks burn when she realized how they must have looked but if Chopper noticed anything odd in the arrangement, he said nothing as he rounded the small cot to tend to the swordsman's wounds.

"How long was I out?" She questioned in embarrassment before untangling herself from Zoro's embrace and standing on weak legs, mindful not to put too much weight on her ankle.

"All day yesterday and all night, it's almost morning," he answered easily and began to unwind Zoro's wrapped torso.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I could have gotten us started on heading for the next island," Nami blanched in irritation, eager to put Witch Island far behind them.

"Luffy said to let you sleep, you needed the rest," Chopper murmured in concentration, cleansing Zoro's wounds with skilled precision and steady hands.

"Luffy was in here?" her cheeks burned hotter when she thought of their Captain seeing the navigator and first mate in bed together, but chances were that the rubber man would innocently assume they were having a slumber party or something.

"Eat something," Chopper redirected with an absentminded wave of his hand where just the day before he had been freaking out when Zoro fainted. It was fascinating how the reindeer could go from frightened child to serious doctor in a matter of minutes. Collapsing onto the nearby stool, she obediently chewed the sandwich that Sanji had prepared but the complex flavors were wasted and her appetite lost. Zoro still hadn't woken up yet and it was all that Nami could think about.

"Looks like his fever is breaking," Chopper grinned, "that's a good sign. His body and the antibiotics are winning." The relief in the doctor's face was contagious and Nami finally allowed herself to relax, the knots in her stomach beginning to loosen. They quickly tightened again though when that annoying little question flounced into her mind once more; what now? They were teetering on that fine line between friendship and something more and Nami was terrified to cross it. She was frightened of the way that things might change between them and of the vulnerability that came with a relationship.

If things went south between them the entire crew would have to suffer the consequences and she wasn't even sure if Zoro felt anything in return. The only solution was to put a bit of distance between them until her meaningless little crush wore off, because it had to be a crush… It couldn't be something more. Reassured by the knowledge that the swordsman was recovering, she left him in Chopper's capable hands, or hooves, and left the room, disappearing into the bathroom for a much needed shower.

The hot water was nearly scalding but Nami made no move to change the temperature. The heat dulled the ache in her various wounds and chased away the chill of the morning air. The citrus scent of her shampoo was just as much a comfort as the feeling of being clean but thoughts of Zoro in the river holding her close and playfully chasing after her interrupted her peaceful solitude. What had happened between them in that week had been nothing more than two friends relying on each other more than usual and mistaking their actions for something genuine and romantic. She did not have feelings for him, she couldn't.

Closing her eyes to rinse out the soap from her hair, the vivid memory of Zoro's lips on hers after she had nearly drowned mocked her denial. He had only kissed her because he was relieved to see her alive, and she had only kissed him back because he had saved her. She hammered the excuse into her head in an attempt to make it convincing, but it didn't explain the numerous almost-kisses they had shared since then, or the way her heart still raced when she remembered how perfectly they fit together, the fire that had sparked between them in that brief moment of intimacy.

"_You can talk about her… Bellemere,"_ his soft and almost shy words echoed in her already Zoro infested brain. He had been so understanding and surprisingly gentle whenever she had needed him to be but now she needed him to be the man she had thought he was before. She needed him to irritate her and start arguments because she wasn't ready to confront this thing developing between them. It was much easier to pretend it wasn't there, much easier to run away.

**[][][][]**

Stepping out onto the deck in a pair of clean jeans and a blue t-shirt covered in black dollar signs, Nami padded bare foot into the light of the morning sun and joined the rest of the gathered Straw Hats, minus Zoro, near the edge of the ship that overlooked the island.

"Miss Nami, it seems that you are healing well," Kouta grinned from his place on the deck. After Zoro's wounds had been treated the crew had filled her in on the island's history and she had briefly been introduced to the mayor and discovered that he had been the old beggar from before who had tried to warn them.

"I feel much better, thank you," Nami offered the man a smile before her eyes immediately fell to the large sack at his feet that bulged in such a way that implied treasure.

"You saved our island from a tyrant we could never have defeated alone, please take this as our way of saying thank you," Kouta continued and offered the bag to Luffy which once opened would reveal gold and other priceless trinkets from the capital city.

"We're pirates, we don't need to be paid," Luffy announced proudly but a smack to the back of his head cut him off and the Captain winced, rubbing the new lump.

"What was that for, Nami?" He questioned with a pout like a scolded child and the navigator quickly snatched the bag away from him with a scowl.

"It's rude not to accept a gift," Nami huffed before dumping the treasure onto the deck, "I'm rich," she practically sang, the distinct glisten of money in her chocolate eyes.

"It's not all yours!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper all snapped before beginning to loudly verbally list everything they were going to buy. Sanji interjected long enough to sweetly ask Nami for a refrigerator that locked while the others rattled off several other items. Kouta laughed at the display before jumping over the railing of the Going Merry and stepping back onto the land. The entire village had gathered to see them off and Nami came out of her gold-lust induced stupor long enough to smile and wave goodbye.

"You are welcome back anytime, Straw Hat Pirates!" Kouta shouted with a wide grin that Luffy echoed.

"Bye, old guy!" The Captain replied enthusiastically.

"Hoist the anchor," Nami ordered and the crew quickly sprang into action like a well oiled machine while she limped up to her spot on the upper deck, "unfurl the sails," she bellowed with a grin. It felt good to be back, "Sanji, turn us starboard!"

"Yes, Nami-Swan," Sanji responded adoringly and paused to coo over her beauty before disappearing to turn the rudder.

The ship turned away from Coppice Island and headed for open water, the salty wind whipping Nami's hair in several different directions. She took a deep breath and smiled, home sweet home. Once they were heading in the right direction she relaxed, tempted to lay out in her deck chair despite the cold but a voice interrupted the idea.

"Zoro you shouldn't be moving, you're still severely injured!" Chopper informed helplessly just before the stubborn swordsman came into view.

"I'm fine, Chopper," Zoro promised while tugging on a clean t-shirt and his freshly washed haramaki, tucking each of his swords into the stomach band, "you did a great job patching me up."

"Don't compliment me, asshole!" The doctor, now in his natural form, wriggled happily but ignored the swordsman's dismissal and fussed over his temperature and bandages anyway, still pressing his goal of getting Zoro back into bed to rest.

Nami felt her heart flip in her chest when Zoro glanced up in her direction and flashed a smirk before he vanished into the bathroom to snag a shower, Chopper still in tow. She spent the rest of the day avoiding him, at least as much as she could on the small ship. She worked on a map of Coppice Island for most of the day and only came out for meals, where she noticed that the spot next to Zoro was the only one available every time, but it was probably just a coincidence.

There was no time to feel awkward about it because Luffy and Usopp begged them for a description of their adventure, in which they purposely left out the intimate details, while Luffy stole food when no one was looking. Only Robin remained quiet while Nami recalled their tale, silently absorbing every detail until the navigator finished speaking.

"It was nearly at freezing temperature every night this week, how did you stay warm, navigator-san?" The archaeologist questioned with a mask of innocence but a glint of mischief in her eyes told Nami that the older woman knew more than she was letting on.

Zoro choked on the food he had just shoved into his mouth and Nami desperately fought the urge to blush.

"We built fires," Zoro's half-lie took her off guard and for a moment the navigator only sat there numbly staring at him. He was not the type of man to feel embarrassment or shame for doing whatever it took to help his friends, so she knew instantly that the lie had been to spare her from it. Ignoring the pang of guilt in her gut, she found the strength to finally nod in agreement.

"Hm," Robin murmured as if in thought, a barely there smile ghosting over her lips, "well it sounds like swordsman-kun took very good care of you."

Sanji scoffed from his place at the sink, taking a drag from his freshly lit cigarette.

"He allowed her to get hurt," the cook disagreed hotly.

"You think you would have done a better job, curly brow?" Zoro bit out in irritation.

"You're damn right I would, she would be left unharmed if it had been me out there with her," Sanji practically roared, unmoving even as Zoro stood angrily from the table and advanced on him.

"No, you would have swooned over her like some love sick moron and allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment, shit cook!" Zoro snarled, his left hang itching to unsheathe one of his swords.

"I would rather die than see Nami-san hurt, you fucking marimo," Sanji glared and blew smoke into the swordsman's face, resisting the urge to kick him across the room since the girls were in the line of fire.

"So would I!" Zoro's angry confession hushed everyone in the room and Sanji's mouth fell open in surprise, the still burning smoke falling from his lips and to the floor, "we're nakama…" Zoro hastily added and stamped down on the heat in his cheeks, "At least she's alive."

Sanji wasn't sure what to say because unlike the other crew members who could only see Zoro's back and easily accepted his nakama excuse, Sanji had seen his face when he said it. The inner torment that came with the knowledge that he had been unable to keep Nami from getting injured had been written in his gaze. Backing away from the cook after giving him one last glare for good measure, Zoro left the galley without a word but no one other than Nami and Sanji seemed to think of it as unusual.

Luffy finished off the food on Zoro's plate and Usopp struck up conversation with an exaggerated tale about how he had rescued a beautiful princess from fifty thousand sea kings at once, Chopper hanging on his every word. Pushing food absently around on her plate, Nami finally stood up and left as well but everyone assumed she was going to work on her maps. Even Sanji didn't think to worry because there was no way that the navigator could possibly return the swordsman's obvious feelings and so he simply continued to dote on Robin and tried to stop Luffy from snatching food.

The sky was dark and blanketed with stars when she stepped outside. The air had already begun to warm as they drifted further away from Coppice Island's climate and Nami found him on the deck doing push-ups with one arm. Frowning, she closed the gap between them in a few limping strides but Zoro remained silent, trying to re-strengthen his injured arm with vigorous exercise.

"You should be resting," she started awkwardly but the swordsman didn't respond. He was already covered in a thin sheen of sweat and some of his bandages had begun to turn pink where he was straining his stitches.

"Zoro…. Stop," Nami frowned and bent down to place a hand on his shoulder.

Pausing, Zoro shoved himself up from the floor but instead of obediently returning to bed he moved to grab an enormous set of weights, causing the orange-haired woman to roll her eyes at his stubbornness.

"You're still hurt, idiot!" Nami pressed angrily but she received no answer as he turned his back on her and continued his routine.

"Damn it, Zoro!" She hissed and smacked the back of his head to get his attention and Zoro finally rounded on her.

"You almost died, Nami!" He nearly shouted, setting the weights aside.

"I'm fine," she protested in weak surprise. He seemed pretty upset and the swordsman usually kept his emotions buried deep beneath the surface.

"You're not fine, you could have been killed!" He was shouting now but otherwise he was the picture of calm and collected; his face a blank mask. It was his eyes that gave him away, full of anger at himself for letting her sustain such injuries even if he had saved her life. It was his job to keep his friends safe and some part of him felt that he had failed. His eyes frightened her because they revealed what she was afraid of… He cared. Things had changed between them and she couldn't deal with it.

"I'm fine," She repeated firmly and a little coldly, desperate for him to drop the subject and allow things to go back to the way they had been before they had gotten caught up in this mess.

"I wasn't strong enough to-" Zoro cut himself off with a frown, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He wasn't used to expressing much emotion and so he struggled to find the correct words, "I just need to get stronger. I need to be stronger to protect the crew…To protect you."

"I don't need you to protect me!" Nami exploded afraid she was letting him get too close fueling her fire, "I don't _want_ you to protect me."

"Well tough shit, sweetheart, because that's my job!" He had moved closer in his irritation and found that they stood only about an inch apart. Zoro hovered over her in a way that would have been threatening had she not known him better. The silence weighed heavy between them before she took a breath to steady her voice.

"I don't need you…" She repeated more to convince herself than him. She saw it clear as day, that flash of hurt in his eyes that tore at her heart and intensified the feeling of guilt in her stomach and she had to get away from him before she gave in.

"Nami…" Zoro started quietly but Nami panicked, sensing that he was going to cross that line that they were already tip toeing on the edge of. Before he could get another word in she turned and limped into the room she shared with Robin as quickly as her body would allow, slamming the door behind her with a shaky sigh. Working on her maps was out of the question. She was too rattled and on edge to draw the lines and so she crawled into bed in hopes of falling asleep. Maybe when she woke up this would all be a dream, and for some reason that thought caused her to ache in corners of her heart that she hadn't even known existed.

**[][][][]**

The afternoon sun was already high in the sky by the time most of the crew had woken up but Nami had been standing in her spot on the deck since sunrise. Two whole days had passed since she had run away from Zoro and she had not slept at all since. She had tried, several times but sleep just wouldn't come. Her room was too quiet and her bed too empty. Robin barely made a sound other than breathing when she slept and a hollow ache had begun to throb in her chest with each night that passed. Her eyes were slightly blood shot from sleep deprivation and the dark circles marring her pretty face were a testament to the truth that she so desperately tried to shove into the back of her mind. Even before the events on the island, Nami had never slept completely peacefully in her own bed.

The nightmares were easy to hide but this time the evidence was also physical. The truth was staring her in the face but she refused to acknowledge it. She refused to admit that she slept best in Zoro's arms. The lack of rest wasn't even the worst part. Since her little outburst on the deck two nights prior the swordsman had begun to avoid her as well to the point where she rarely even bumped into him at meals. He had taken to eating quickly before she even arrived and leaving for his workout routine before she could take her seat. He didn't try to seek her out and the longer she went without talking to him the more the ache in her heart intensified.

Eventually the crew would notice their odd behavior and relationships would become strained. They were nakama, a team that worked together and if two of their members weren't even talking they would be vulnerable if they were attacked. She couldn't seem to shake this nagging feeling that she was missing something. When she did meet Zoro's eyes there was no anger or hatred in his expression, it was almost as if he was waiting patiently for her to do something, but what?

"You look tired, Nami," Luffy paused in his game of tag on the deck with Chopper to point it out.

"It's rude to comment on those kinds of things, Luffy," Nami grumbled grumpily in response but she knew he was only being honest. She was tired, exhausted actually, and their Captain had never been above telling it like it was.

"Are you having difficulty sleeping? I can mix a sleeping aid if it would help," Chopper joined in worriedly and the navigator smiled. She had missed this, missed having her friends around who genuinely cared for her well being. Few people would ever get to experience such unconditional love and loyalty.

"I'm okay, guys. My bed is probably just a little too soft now that I'm used to sleeping on the ground," she promised and sent them both a grin that seemed to convince them because Luffy went back to running and flinging himself around on the deck and around the sails while Chopper attempted to catch him, laughing like a child all the while.

"Sometimes it's not the bed that makes all the difference but the company," Robin's dark voice said softly once the boys had left and Nami glanced over at her in surprise. The older woman had seated herself on the railing and as usual her nose was buried in a book but the navigator could still see that glisten of knowing in her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nami denied with a nervous chuckle and Robin finally lifted her gaze from the worn pages of her book to stare at the navigator and smile.

"You will," she murmured mysteriously before hopping off of the railing and moving to relax in her deck chair and read in the sun, leaving Nami to ponder her words in confusion.

Despite her lack of rest, Nami managed to finish the map of Coppice Island and proceeded to doodle off to the side of a scratch piece of parchment for the majority of the evening. It wasn't until she had finished the doodle that she noticed what she was drawing. A sweet little girl proudly wielding a sword that looked eerily similar to Zoro's Wado Ichimonji and Zoro himself looking over his shoulder to smile at her.

"_Her name was Kuina,_" his words whispered through her mind and she recalled how open he had been with her. Zoro had trusted her with a piece of his past that he had yet to share with any other member of the crew and it had made her happy knowing more about him.

The ache in her heart continued to throb and Nami swallowed thickly. She had feelings for him, she had known it even before they had docked at the island but had refused to dwell on it. Lying to herself was easier than facing an uncertain future but her feelings had not gone away yet. She had thought that if she avoided him and kept some distance between them they would eventually fade but the longer she stayed away the stronger those feelings became. She missed him and it physically hurt not to see his cocky little smirks and smiles or to hear the gruff sound of his voice.

Nami was still afraid though, afraid of what Luffy and the others might say. They were a tight knit family and she didn't want to upset what they had. Rubbing at the beginnings of a migraine, Nami crawled into bed with a weary sigh and willed herself to fall asleep. It didn't work and she spent most of the night tossing and turning in her bed, haunted by the fact that she was being a coward, not the strong woman that Bellemere had wanted her to be.

Morning was a welcome refuge because even though she hadn't slept, she could escape into conversation with her friends and into her duties as the navigator. The weather was clear and the ocean calm and most of the day was spent relaxing in her deck chair with Robin while they chatted about the island they would be nearing in the next few weeks, Water 7.

Dinner was uneventful at first with Luffy stealing potatoes and ham from plates that didn't belong to him and Sanji barking at him in irritation for doing so. Zoro was missing from the table as he had been for the last few days and Nami only picked at her food, too lost in thought to really care that she hadn't eaten properly since their return. It wasn't until the door to the galley swung open that things became marginally more interesting. Zoro stepped into the dining area, wiping at his sweaty brow with the back of his hand before approaching the spot where Luffy was sitting next to Nami.

"You're in my spot, Luffy," he mumbled casually and the Captain grinned in response before scooting over, most likely just happy that he'd have another nearby plate to eat off of.

Taking his seat next to Nami, Zoro accepted the food that was all but slammed down in front of him by Sanji and began to eat without so much as a sideways glance to the woman next to him. Nami had visibly tensed and stopped pushing her food around on her plate. Zoro was sitting so close that their arms and thighs brushed against each other and the familiar feel of his body heat reminded her of just how exhausted she really was. Had there not been others around she probably could have fallen asleep right then and there.

The swordsman ate and left just as quickly as he had come without much conversation and all eyes fell on the navigator when she let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding as soon as he was gone. A small whimper of disappointment left her without her consent as well and several pairs of eyes gazed at her in concern.

"Are you okay, Nami?" Usopp frowned around a mouth full of food and nearly had to stab Luffy's hand with a fork when the Captain attempted to steal the last piece of ham on his plate. Shoving her food away, Nami allowed her forehead to fall against the table with a quiet thunk in defeat before she sighed.

"I love Zoro," she mumbled quietly and everyone exchanged confused glances at first.

"What was that?" Sanji questioned cautiously, hoping he hadn't heard her correctly.

"I love Zoro," she repeated firmly this time after raising her head, her heart racing in anticipation to see their reactions. She already felt better after saying it out loud, as if some sort of weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I love Zoro too," Luffy stated in innocent confusion, unsure as to why the rest of his friends appeared so shocked. He loved all of his nakama so he really didn't understand what the big deal was. Nami laughed when her Captain simply blinked at her and more of the weight she had been carrying seemed to drift away. To Luffy everything was so simple and sometimes she wished she could be like that.

"Nami-Swan, why!?" Sanji wailed dramatically and dropped to his knees in front of her, tears streaming down his face. Robin was only smiling to herself and Chopper looked just as confused as Luffy did. Usopp was the only other person in the room to appear surprised, but there was no hint of disappointment or anger in his expression.

"Sanji," Nami started with a chuckle at her friend's antics but the cook only continued his one man play and took her hand in his.

"I still love you, Nami-Swan," he promised like a dying man, "and when you stop loving that moron, I'll be here."

Nami laughed and patted his hand to reassure the cook that nothing would really change between them. They had both known since the beginning that Sanji's flirting was harmless and that nothing would ever really become of it. That thought was solidified when the cook ceased his crying the moment Robin asked for more juice and the blonde immediately began to fawn over the dark-haired older woman as if his life depended on it.

Eventually the excitement died down and most of the crew filed out of the galley for bed after the dishes had been done, leaving only Nami and Luffy at the table. The Captain seemed deep in thought with his brows knit together but Nami knew that he was probably still just trying to figure out what she had meant earlier. As great as Luffy was, he wasn't known for being the first to catch on most of the time. It seemed that the rest of the crew had accepted her feelings but she was still worried how Luffy would take it.

"You love Zoro," Luffy stated bluntly in that innocent way of his but he was repeating it mostly to himself instead of her.

"Yes but not like you love Zoro… I love him differently," Nami responded awkwardly and allowed the heat in her cheeks to show for once. It felt good getting it off of her chest even though she was still afraid of how the swordsman might respond, afraid of how Luffy would take it.

"Oh, like you _love _love him," the Captain exclaimed excitedly, proud of himself for understanding and Nami couldn't help laughing again, "I don't get what the big deal is."

"You're not mad?" She started cautiously, staring down at her lap as if it were the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

"Why would I be mad? Are you planning to hurt him?" Luffy asked, completely serious.

"I would never do that on purpose… I just thought that you might be upset because this affects the entire crew," Nami explained with a frown and her eyes widened when Luffy laughed rather loudly.

"You're my friends, not my slaves, Nami," his confident statement caused her eyes to water and she was reminded of when he and the others had rescued her from her life of slavery to Arlong. She would never have to live that way again. These were her friends who only wanted her to be happy.

"What do you think I should do?" Nami whispered before wiping at a stray tear that had escaped. When she met his eyes, Luffy was smiling and his grin caused her to smile in response. This was why she was so close to their Captain. Luffy was innocence and power, kindness and compassion, goodness and justice all wrapped up in one man that she would follow until the day that she died. He was the man that would become the pirate king, and he was her best friend.

"I think you should do whatever makes you smile," Luffy stated seriously, remembering the promise he had made to never let her lose her smile and he watched as his navigator grinned at him in response, obviously relieved at his words, "just don't hurt him or yourself."

**[][][][]**

Had someone told her one week ago that she would be standing in front of the crow's nest ladder in the middle of the night, she would have laughed at the very idea, before of course knocking some sense into them with a well placed fist to the head. She would have come up with several reasons to raise their imaginary debt had they insisted that she couldn't sleep without his snoring.

Had someone told her that her room would no longer feel like home without the comfort of strong and capable arms around her, and that the one thing she would miss more than even the taste of mikans would be the metallic scent of steel, she would have insisted that they were out of their mind.

But there she was, one slender hand poised to climb and dark circled eyes dull from exhaustion. One week was all it had taken to change everything she thought she knew about their swordsman. One week was all it had taken to realize that she was in love with him. She didn't want to love him. He was the kind of man who put his life on the line in every battle, a man who unsettled and frustrated her with a single look, but unfortunately she had no choice in the matter. The thought of loving him was frightening, but the idea of losing him, of not loving him was even more so.

"Don't be a coward…" She whispered to herself and straightened her shoulders with renewed resolve. Taking the rough rope in hand, she hauled herself up the ladder as quickly as her healing ankle would allow. She found the swordsman sitting in the crow's nest with his back against the wall and his eyes closed, a blanket draped haphazardly around his shoulders and his swords were propped up about a foot away to his left. She knew better than to think he was asleep but she wasn't sure how to approach him either and instead she ended up simply standing there like an idiot, shifting her weight awkwardly.

Allowing herself a steadying breath, she opened her mouth to tell him how she felt but she was cut off when Zoro suddenly moved, opening up the blanket and lifting one arm in invitation much like he had done that first night on the island. The action tugged at her heart and Nami smiled before moving to press herself into the warmth of his side while Zoro proceeded to wrap her up in his arms and cocoon them both in the blanket. A comfortable silence enveloped them and for the first time since she had crawled into his bed while he was unconscious, she felt like she was home. The exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks and her body relaxed into him without hesitation. His scent surrounded her and Nami realized just how much she had missed this, missed the protection and comfort that he offered to her so freely, missed his scent and snoring and everything that made him Zoro. His actions proved that he had already forgiven her without need for explanation and she had a sneaking suspicion that Zoro had come to terms with his feelings long before she had even noticed she was feeling them. The man really was very complicated.

"This is going to cost you, you know," she murmured quietly, her tone laced with affection. She saw in his eyes when he looked down at her that he knew. It was her way of telling him that she loved him without actually saying the words.

"Put it on my tab," he answered her with a grin that set her heart to racing. She knew immediately that it was his way of telling her he loved her too. They didn't need to say the cliché phrase to understand the depth and meaning behind the words. Zoro and Nami weren't exactly traditional.

"It might take you a long time to pay off what you owe me," she teased with a much lighter heart and a genuine smile. All of the weight she had been carrying was finally gone with the knowledge that Zoro felt the same.

"Well than I guess you're stuck with me, sweetheart," he practically purred and Nami blushed, staring up at him in the darkness with only the sound of their breathing and the ocean waves lapping against the ship to break the silence.

"Brute," she whispered a little breathlessly and wished that her voice had not betrayed just how much he effected her.

"Witch," he smirked before leaning down to capture her lips in a soul searing kiss that took her completely off guard. They both knew exactly what they were doing this time which only made the kiss that much more potent but despite the fact that she wanted nothing more than to sink into him, Nami broke the kiss and blushed.

"You knew," she was still breathless and her lips were kiss swollen but Zoro took her seriously anyway, "how long have you known that I loved you?" She needed to know.

"I didn't know for sure until Witch Island," he answered honestly with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Nami was confused but Zoro suddenly smiled at her.

"You had to figure it out for yourself just like I did, all I had to do was wait," he replied and her heart flipped in her chest.

He had waited patiently for her to come to terms with her feelings and even given her space to sort things out. He really was a man to be admired and suddenly all of the torment she had put herself through for the last week didn't matter because he was hers and it was worth it. Without another word she snaked an arm around his neck and pulled him down into another heated kiss. She let her walls down completely and gave in to the fire that sparked at his touch, surrendered everything she had to offer and greedily drank in everything he so freely offered as well. He held nothing back much like he did in battle and it suddenly didn't matter that they were constantly in danger and that they risked their lives striving for their dreams because as long as they did it together it was all worth it. Seven days was all it had taken for her to realize that this moronic, directionally challenged, stubborn and irritating swordsman was exactly her type. One week was all it had taken for her to realize that Zoro was a big part of the reason that she was still smiling.

_The End_

**[][][][]**

**A/N: **It makes me sad to know that this story has come to a close, but the journey was so incredibly worth it! I have been planning this ending for months before I even began to write the story. I just wanted to thank each and every one of my readers and reviewers because you guys are what makes the writing experience an adventure. I hope that you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have loved writing it and hopefully I'll be hearing from you guys again in my upcoming stories, including a one shot I'm attempting to get done in time for Christmas. Thank you as always to my wonderful friend and beta **Oceanwind**. I could not have done it without you, girl. Until next time, my friends, happy reading!

-B.


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